As we all know Vitamin D is vital to the body’s functioning. A deficiency in this Vitamin can cause problems and hamper our lifestyle. It is normally more severe during the winter season.
The most important and freely available source is Sun’s rays. It is the most abundant source of Vitamin D. During the winter season, sunlight fluctuates and is not as abundant as compared in the other months. This significantly increases the likelihood of acquiring Vitamin D from the sun, which may cause Vitamin D deficiencies to be more common. Solving the problem of Vitamin D requires a comprehensive understanding of what Vitamin D does for our body and how we can make the most out of it. If need be, you can also get guidance from the best doctors at Trustwell Hospitals in Bangalore
Why is Vitamin D important?
Getting enough vitamin D is important for the typical growth and development of bones and teeth. It helps in improving resistance to certain diseases
- Bone strength: Calcim and Phosporous are two important minerals that helps in building bone strength. Vitamin D is essential in facilitating calcium and phosphorus to build bones. Any shortcomings will lead to the bone becoming brittle, weak, soft, and even conditions such as rickets.
- Helps Calcium absorption: Vitamin D promotes the optimal absorption of Calcium from our food, which is important in the health and maintenance of different parts of our body from our teeth to our blood.
- Parathyroid glands: Vitamin D works together with the parathyroid glands to regulate Calcium levels in the bloodstream. This happens in synergy with the kidneys, gut, and skeleton.
Vitamin D may regulate mood and reduce depression
Research has shown that vitamin D might play an important role in regulating mood and decreasing the risk of depression. Vitamin D supplementation may help people with depression who also have a vitamin D deficiency
Signs and symptoms of deficiency of vitamin D
Some of the signs and symptoms seen in a person who has very low levels of Vitamin D can include:
- Muscle weakness, muscle aches, muscle cramps
- Bone pain
- Mood changes
- Depression
- Rickets (very rare cases) in children
- Defect bone mineralization can lead to osteomalacia and osteoporosis in adults.
Medical conditions that may increase the likelihood of being Vitamin D deficient
The deficiency of Vitamin D may cause certain medical conditions, the most prominent of which are.
- Obesity: Fat cells interfere in the mechanism of how Vitamin D is to be released into the bloodstream. Therefore, higher Body Mass Indexes are often associated with lower Vitamin D levels.
- Kidney and liver disease: They reduce the amounts of required enzymes needed to change Vitamin D to the form it is utilized in by the body.
- Cystic fibrosis, Crohn’s disease, celiac disease: These diseases prevent the intestines from absorbing sufficient Vitamin D.
Primary sources of Vitamin D
Vitamin D isn’t naturally found in many foods, but you can get it from fortified milk, fortified cereal, and fatty fish such as salmon, mackerel, and sardines. Your body also makes vitamin D when direct sunlight converts a chemical in your skin into an active form of vitamin (calciferol).
Apart from natural sunlight, the following are some sources of Vitamin D
- Foods: Cereals, Fish (salmon, tuna, cod liver oil) egg yolk, and orange juice
- Nutritional supplements
- Recommended daily allowance: 200 to 400 IU units per day in adults.
Can too much Vitamin D cause problems?
Any thing too much for that matter can be bad too. It can lead to a condition known as hypervitaminosis D due to increased calcium in the blood. Some symptoms that may indicate high Vitamin D levels in the body are,
- Increased thirst and urination
- Ataxia
- Confusion
- Poor appetite
- Constipation
- Weakness
- Nausea