Recognizing Vitamin D Deficiency Symptoms

By Kerri Stout


Living in a fast paced society that has evolved over time many people find themselves in a position that can cause them to eat on the run or many times miss a meal completely. Eating on the run generally involves fast foods that may not contain the nutritional values necessary for a healthy body and skipping meals due to employment or family pressures carries consequences that speak for themselves. Knowing what the vitamin D deficiency symptoms are may help to prevent the problems associated with it.

This essential nutrient can be easily obtained by spending thirty minutes in the sunshine at least once a day. Your body metabolizes natural sunshine into the nutrients necessary to keep levels of D vitamins constant. There are food based ways of obtaining this supplement also and retail outlets carry multiple levels of dosage in the pharmacy department that are available to help boost the amount of D that is needed.

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.

Loss of bone density and fractures are common with this condition and women are especially susceptible. Taking calcium tablets that are fortified with D vitamins is highly recommended for all women over forty years of age. Bone density scans are also recommended by most doctors. Many women who suffer from this condition are reported to have multiple falls risking hip fractures over very short periods of time.

Many long term issues have been tied to this malady. Cancers, heart disease and liver problems are being studied to find the links to the shortage of this necessary supplement. Studies are also being conducted that show appropriate levels of D vitamins help prevent multiple sclerosis in women.

Whether you have this problem or not it may be a wise decision to supplement your diet with multiple vitamins that contain ample dosages of D. Especially if you adhere to a strictly vegan diet because most natural sources of it are animal based such as egg yolks, fish and fish oils, cheese, milk or beef liver.




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