The Vitamin D Facts

So just what are vitamin d deficiency symptoms?  You might have heard of the most obvious of the deficiencies — rickets — but are there any other symptoms you whould know about?

First we’ll talk about rickets, and then about the rest of the vitamin d deficiency symptoms.

Vitamin D and Rickets

This is the most widely-known of the vitamin d deficiencies.  And in fact, the RDA / MDA was created at 400 IU because that was what it takes to prevent rickets. 

Rickets is a childhood disease, and it is evidenced by softened bones, and the resulting deformities of the long bones of the body.  An early symptom of rickets is craniotabes, which is an abnormal thinning / softening of the skull.

If you’re reading this, you’re likely past the age where rickets would be an issue.  So what are some of the other warning signs you do need to watch for?

Vitamin D Deficiency Symptoms

So now that you’re past childhood and rickets isn’t a warning sign.  What should you be on the lookout for?  Well, you just might be surprised at the list!  Take a look and see how many may apply to you:

• Fatigue
• Muscle pain, weakness or cramping
• Joint pain and/or swelling
• Chronic pain
• Poor concentration and memory
• Restless sleep
• Headaches
• Uncontrolled weight gain
• High blood pressure
• Bowel problems
• Bladder problems

Find any there that you can relate to?  It’s pretty scary when you think about it.

Diseases Associated With Vitamin D Deficiency

It’s quite amazing that one vitamin can cover so many bases.  And actually, vitamin d isn’t really a vitamin per se (although I’ll cover that in a different post).  But for the time being, let’s call it a vitamin, and see what diseases are associated with its lack.

• Alzheimer’s
• Arthritis
• Autoimmune diseases (multiple sclerosis, lupus)
• Depression, including SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder)
• Diabetes
• Fibromyalgia
• Gum disease
• Heart disease
• Obesity
• Osteoperosis
• Parkinson’s

There’s also growing evidence that vitamin d, by strengthening the body’s immune system, can help prevent or fight off cancer.

Now I’m the first to admit that any or all of the above could be caused by something other than a deficiency of vitamin d.  But doesn’t it make sense that if you do have one of the above conditions, that you have your vitamin d levels checked?  Take a moment and review the causes of a vitamin d deficiency, then think about how much you get on a daily basis.

What are the benefits of vitamin D?  You know you need it for good health, but what does vitamin D do in your body, anyway?  Get the vitamin D facts now, to prevent problems from cropping up.

Vitamin D in Your Body

Vitamin D is actually a hormone (surprise!), or at least processed by your body as a hormone.  It gets processed by your kidneys, and then does some great things to your body.  It’s best known as building strong bones and teeth, but did you know that it also regulates calcium and phosphate in the bloodstream? 

Yep, sure does!

Vitamin D goes hand-in-glove with calcium, for strengthening bones.  And did you realize that without the “sunshine vitamin”, calcium doesn’t get fully absorbed by your body?  And better yet, if you get enough D vitamins, you need less calcium.

Vitamin D and Inflammation

If you’re in a lot of muscular pain (but otherwise healthy), part of the reason might be a vitamin D deficiency because it reduces inflammation and also regulates neuromuscular function.  If you don’t get enough D, your muscles may be trying to let you know.

And you thought the benefits of vitamin D were just limited to the bones!

OK, what about diseases that can be caused by inflammation to various parts of your body, like heart disease, arthritis, psoriasis?  A lack of vitamin D has even been linked to cancer.

Isn’t a vitamin pill a day a small (very small) price to pay?

Benefits of Vitamin D

With the great things this vitamin does for your body, you need to ask yourself — are you getting enough for your health?  Sure, a lot of foods have D added to them, but do you get enough of the foods rich in vitamin D?

Do you spend enough time in the sun…without sunscreen?  Because of the worries of skin cancer, most people don’t get the benefits of sunlight. 

But the great news is that if you don’t spend enough time in the sun, and your diet isn’t routinely doesn’t include foods with vitamin D, you can still get what you need from a supplement — and it’s inexpensive!  For just pennies a day (literally), you can make sure you have enough in your body.  Check out the vitamin D facts for your daily requirements.

So what are the benefits of vitamin D?  Strong bones, forestalling osteoperosis and relieving muscle inflammation are just three reasons you need to get enough D in your system.