5 signs suggesting a vitamin D deficiency

 One of the most read by readers on Dr. Mercola's website is an article about vitamin D deficiency. What are the risks of vitamin D deficiency? How can you tell if you are suffering from a vitamin D deficiency? And what are the benefits of raising your vitamin D levels?

Vitamin D deficiency is a very common phenomenon around the world, but many people erroneously believe that they are not in danger. This is because they are consuming vitamin D fortified foods such as milk.

Very few foods naturally contain therapeutic levels of vitamin D, and even vitamin D fortified foods do not contain enough vitamin D to support your health needs.

Despite the name of vitamin D, vitamin D is actually a steroid hormone that is primarily obtained through sun exposure, not through ingestion. Vitamin D deficiency has reached epidemic levels around the world because most dermatologists and other doctors recommend people stay out of the sun and use sunscreen before they go out of the door.

Given the importance of vitamin D for disease prevention, excessive sun avoidance appears to have more harmful effects than good. The main problem with exposure from the sun is the burn, not the overall exposure. Skin cancers that can be treated most easily include sciatica and underlying cell epithelial cancers, which make up the largest share of sun-caused cancers.

Definition of vitamin D deficiency

According to a study published in June 2018, about 40% of Americans are severely deficient in vitamin D, usually with vitamin D deficiency when their serum vitamin D levels are less than 20 ng/mL (50 nmol/L). see. Vitamin D can be considered sufficient when the serum level of vitamin D is above 20 ng/mL.

Levels of 20 ng/mL have been found on several occasions to be seriously inadequate for health and disease prevention, and levels of 40 ng/mL (100 nmol/L) have been suspected of insufficient vitamin D levels. For example, studies have shown that once the minimum serum vitamin D level reaches 40 ng/mL (100 nmol/L), the risk of developing cancer is compared to a condition below 20 ng/mL (100 nmol/L). Says it will be reduced by 67%.

Most cancers occur in people with blood levels of vitamin D between 10 ng/mL and 40 ng/mL (25 nmol/L to 100 nmol/L). It is known at levels between 60 ng/mL and 80 ng/mL (150 nmol/L to 200 nmol/L).

In addition, numerous studies have shown that these high levels of vitamin D specifically prevent breast cancer. Importantly, a 2005 study found that women with vitamin D levels above 60 ng/mL had an 83% lower risk of developing breast cancer than women with levels below 20 ng/mL. ! I can't think of any other strategy that could reduce the risk this much.

More recently, two randomized trials in June 2018 and one comprehensive analysis published in a prospective cohort study showed almost the same conclusions. A study published in the newsletter GrassrootsHealth found that optimizing only vitamin D without taking any other action could prevent as many as 80% of breast cancer cases.

The five main signs of vitamin D deficiency

The only way to check for vitamin D deficiency is with a blood test. However, there are some other common signs and symptoms that can help you know if you have a deficiency. If the symptoms listed below apply to you, take a vitamin D level test quickly and take precautions to raise your blood vitamin D level from 60 ng/mL to 80 ng/mL.

1. Persistent musculoskeletal pain and bone pain — According to vitamin D researcher Michael Holick, many people who go to the hospital for pain and pain, especially in combination with fatigue, eventually misdiagnose fibromyalgia or chronic fatigue syndrome It is said to receive.

"Many of these symptoms are classic signs of vitamin D deficiency osteomalacia, unlike vitamin D deficiency, which causes osteoporosis in adults." Says Holic.

"What's happening here is that vitamin D deficiency causes a defect in getting calcium through the collagen membrane to the skeleton. As a result, you feel throbbing and bone pain."

2. Frequent diseases and infections — Vitamin D regulates the expression of genes that affect the immune system, which can attack and destroy bacteria and viruses. So, frequent illnesses and infections of all kinds, including colds and flu, suggest that your immune function is at a subnormal level, which may mean that your vitamin D levels are low.

3. Neurological symptoms — This study found that low vitamin D levels are associated with poor cognitive activity. Several other studies have also shown that vitamin D deficiency is associated with poor mental functioning, confusion, forgetfulness, and lack of concentration. Headaches and migraines are also associated with low vitamin D levels.

4. Fatigue and drowsiness during the day — Several studies have linked low vitamin D levels to persistent symptoms of fatigue. For example, in some cases, a woman who suffered from chronic fatigue, daytime sleepiness (hypersomnia), back pain, and daily headaches was found to have vitamin D levels of less than 6 ng/mL. Increasing the woman's vitamin levels to 39 ng/mL helped resolve the above symptoms.

5. Sweating in the Head — According to Holrick, the classic sign of vitamin D deficiency is sweating in the head. Excessive sweating in newborn babies due to neuromuscular hypersensitivity is still explained as a common early symptom of vitamin D deficiency.

Five major risk factors for vitamin D deficiency

• Rarely (or rarely) spend time outdoors and always wear sunscreen — Researchers have found that vitamin D deficiency is in all adults, regardless of age, who always wear sunscreen that blocks vitamin D production or restrict outdoor activities. It has been said that it is appearing prevalent. The ideal time to benefit from sun exposure is between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. when medium-wavelength UV light is present.

• Dark-colored skin — Your skin pigment acts as a natural sunscreen, so the more pigment you have, the more time you have to spend in the sun to produce the right amount of vitamin D.

If your skin is dark, you may need to expose your body to 10 times more sun to produce the same amount of vitamin D as people with pale skin.

• Over 50 — As you age, the amount of vitamin D your skin can make in response to sun exposure decreases. At the same time, the kidneys become increasingly less efficient at converting vitamin D into its active form. Also, older adults tend to spend more time indoors.

• Obesity — Because vitamin D is a fat-dissolving component, body fat collects vitamin D, which attracts and “settles” it. Therefore, it seems likely that people who are overweight or obese will need more vitamins than those who are slim. In one recent study, vitamin D deficiency was found to be three times more prevalent in obese populations.

Gastrointestinal Diseases — Judging by the fact 부산보보 that vitamin D has fat-dissolving properties, if you are suffering from gastrointestinal disorders, fat-soluble vitamins such as vitamin D, because gastrointestinal disorders affect your ability to absorb fat You may be absorbing less. These gastrointestinal disorders include Crohn Celiac disease, non-celiac gluten sensitivity, and inflammatory bowel disease.

Health Benefits of Vitamin D Optimization

Optimizing your vitamin D levels has been shown to have potent health benefits, helping to prevent a wide range of diseases. For example, it is effective for the following symptoms: