About Vitamin D Deficiency

Vitamin D is very commonly known as the 'sunshine vitamin' because it is produced in the body as a result of direct exposure to sunlight. The main purpose of vitamin D in the body is to make use of the calcium available in the diet to strengthen the bones and teeth. If a person is displaying some symptoms of vitamin D deficiency, it generally implies a lack of sunlight.

Vitamin D deficiency symptoms are seen in many people across the world and people showing such symptoms usually have weak bones. This leads to soft bones and skeletal deformities. There are a multitude of other health problems that can be curbed by increasing intake of Vitamin D. You can ask your doctor to check your levels of Vitamin D with a simple blood test.

Some Common Symptoms of Deficiency

There are a host of easily distinguishable Vitamin D deficiency symptoms that you should look out for:

• Rickets: This is one of the biggest lack of Vitamin D symptoms. Weak bones that get hurt easily or fractured regularly are one of the biggest effects Vitamin D deficiency causes. The prevalence of hypovitaminosis D is seen mostly in elderly people.
• Skin pigmentation: If a person regularly notices pigmentation on their skin, it is very likely that this is being caused by lack of vitamin D.
• Depression: Depression is also a commonly observed symptom of low Vitamin D levels.
• Inflammatory bowel disease: People experiencing inflammatory bowel movements must also beware, as this is also widely recognized as one of the Vitamin D deficiency symptoms.
• Obesity: People who are obese must also be aware of their intake of Vitamin D, as obese people are more prone to showing symptoms of Vitamin D deficiency.

Other Vitamin D deficiency symptoms include knock-kneed appearance, low blood calcium levels, high blood pressure, tuberculosis, bowed limbs, chronic fatigue, type I diabetes and chronic bone pain, muscle pain or joint pain.

Vitamin D Deficiency - Symptoms

There are many factors that lead to the presence of symptoms due to lack of Vitamin D. Some of these reasons are given below.

• Lack of foods rich in Vitamin D in your diet.
• Minimal exposure to sunlight.
• Failure of kidneys to convert Vitamin D to its active form.
• Dark skin shade in people.
• Inability of digestive tract to absorb Vitamin D.
• Using too much sunscreen.
• Age and hereditary conditions.

If you are displaying Vitamin D deficiency symptoms, you need not worry too much because there are many cures and remedies available to you.

Depending on your age, severity of symptoms and hereditary factors, your doctor will prescribe certain medications and vitamin supplements to you to reduce and eradicate these lack of Vitamin D symptoms. S/he will either provide you with some long term solutions, or alternately even give you some short term solutions, depending on which will suit you better.

Vitamin D is an important ingredient of human nutrition, which is in the form of vitamin D2 and D3. Vitamin D is required by the human body in small quantities; but, a regular intake of the foods containing Vitamin D is necessary for good overall health. Because we spend so much more time indoors or blocking sunlight when we are outside, the production of Vitamin D in the human skin has reduced drastically.

Foods That Contain Vitamin D

• One of the biggest food sources of Vitamin D is the oil that is derived from fish such as Cod. Most of the fish that contain a generous amount of fat prove to be a good source of Vitamin D.
• The cod liver oil that is derived from the cod fish, if consumed regularly and periodically proves to be very healthy for the body, especially for the skin.
• Herring also provides a good quantity of Vitamin D.
• Some fish become good sources of Vitamin D, only when they are cooked. Some of the prominent examples are: Salmon, Mackerel and Eel.
• Canned Sardines and Tuna are also very good sources of Vitamin D.
• Cooked beef liver and some specific types of mushrooms are also good Vitamin D food sources.
• It is also advisable that if possible, one should stand in the fresh morning sunlight for about 10 to 15 minutes every day, in order to generate natural and adequate quantities of Vitamin D in the skin itself.