A Look At Vitamin D Deficiency Symptoms

By Kerri Stout


The world today is fast paced and hectic for most of the people who must live in it. Many are forced to choose between the pressures of their job and the basic need to take time for nutritious meals that will help maintain their skills. Choosing fast foods or energy bars and drinks can produce adverse effects to your health. Awareness of Vitamin D deficiency symptoms and their causes can prove beneficial to health and well being of everyone.

There are several ways to supplement the intake of basic vitamins starting with sitting in the sun. The body can create D vitamins for itself by metabolizing direct sunshine it is exposed to. Many foods contain needed amounts of D vitamins and additional supplements can be purchased over the counter in most stores.

Some of the risk factors for this problem include limited sun exposure, darker skin color, restricted activity, or diseases that affect absorption of nutrients by the body. There are also issues with diagnosis of a shortage of D vitamins in the body because the range of sufficiency varies considerably from one expert source to the next. The Institute of Medicine sets intake levels according to age with the highest levels attributed to senior women over seventy years of age.

The symptoms mentioned by doctors include bone pain and muscle weakness as the most common complaints by patients. These subtle issues are so vague they often go unnoticed or are over looked when a diagnosis is made. A specific request must be made by the doctor to test the D levels in blood tests and often the patient needs to suggest doing it to their physician.

Persons who have suffered from this problem can supply more detailed descriptions of symptomatic issues suffered while living with this dilemma. They will tell you of hair loss, foggy headed feelings and fatigue that can leave them immobile. Some experience hip pain and joint pain that makes it very painful and difficult to get up from a seated position.

Bone density loss is one of the most dangerous features of this ailment. Women over forty are encouraged to have bone density scans to check for loss. They are also encouraged to regularly take calcium tablets that are fortified with vitamin D to strengthen their bones and help prevent fractures should they fall.

Long term issues that can arise from this deficiency include cancer, heart disease, diabetes and liver and kidney problems. It can also cause serious asthma in children. Studies are being done to determine whether there is any effect on patients who have high blood pressure with very promising results. There are also studies that indicate a link between taking this supplement and decreasing the risk of precancerous polyps of the colon, reducing the risk of falling and development of multiple sclerosis in women.

Those who follow the vegan diet guidelines are especially susceptible for this problem because the nutrients necessary to prevent it are found in animal based products such as egg yolks, fortified milk, cheese or beef liver. Using daily multiple vitamins is a practice that may benefit every body.




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