Fat-soluble vitamin D has a crucial part in various body functions. It’s known that it helps build and maintain strong bones, together with calcium in the body. According to the University of Maryland Medical Center, this vitamin is also included in the regulation of cells and the immune system, so it can help protect our body from cancer.
Vitamin D is probably the most important nutrient when it comes to bone health and the immune system.
Besides preserving the immune system and bone health, proper intake of vitamin D is believed to prevent many serious health problems.
Vitamin D deficiency is widely known to cause brittle bones (rickets) in young kids. In this condition, the bone tissue doesn’t mineralize or fortify. It is very often that this condition leads to fragile bones and skeletal deformities, thus increasing the risk of injuries. A new study found that lack of this vitamin is linked to a host of other health conditions as well.
According to the study, vitamin D can take part in both, the prevention and treatment of type 1 and type 2 diabetes, multiple sclerosis (MS), and hypertension.
Now that you’ve realized the importance of this vitamin, we will tell you 7 ways to help you realize if you lack of vitamin D.
7 Warning Signs of Lack of Vitamin D
1. Muscle Pain and Weakness
In the beginning, the degree of your muscle pain and weakness is subtle. However, as the deficiency is present for much longer, these symptoms will become worse, and you will most likely feel severe pain. The reason for this is that when vitamin D is metabolized, it increases muscle contraction, and that’s the main mechanism for bone strengthening.
2. Impaired Immune System
Reduced levels of vitamin D directly affect the immune system. Immune cells contain a high amount of vitamin D receptors, and this area of the body demands proper vitamin D supplementation. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition has published a Japanese study that shows that the group of schoolchildren who received vitamin D supplements had reduced cases of flu strain influenza, as opposed to the group which didn’t get supplements.
Another study shows that people with the autoimmune disease had low levels of this vitamin.
3. High Blood Pressure
You can have high blood pressure if your vitamin D levels are low. A peptide in our body raises blood pressure through water retention and arterial restriction. Vitamin D suppresses this enzymatic reaction and decreases the worsened and inappropriate body reaction to this peptide, thus restoring normal blood pressure.
4. Sadness or Depression
Low levels of vitamin D have also been related to feelings of sadness or Healthline. One research showed that inconsistent levels of vitamin D3 are linked to seasonal affective disorder (SAD) and seasonal depressive conditions. The participants in the research received vitamin D3 supplementation, and they noticed improved positive effects and reduced physical and cognitive negative effects. They reported a significant reduction of the following symptoms: sleep disturbances, hypersomnia, lethargy, and food craving.
5. Gut Problems
Vitamin D absorption can be affected by some gastrointestinal conditions. Because of this interaction, people with inflammatory bowel disease, Crohn’s disease, celiac disease, and other conditions have higher chances of vitamin D deficiency. Since fat dilutes this vitamin and lowers its physiological effects, people with high amounts of body fat are also more prone to deficiency of this vitamin.
6. Excessive Sweating
People with improper vitamin D levels have a tendency to sweat more. We can’t say why exactly this happens, since the only thing medical experts know is the strong connection between low vitamin D levels and extreme sweating, particularly around the forehead.
7. Heart Conditions
There is a high chance that low levels of vitamin D are linked to cardiovascular disease. According to a group of medical experts, a lack of this vitamin leads to a higher concentration of plaque buildup in the arteries. The plaque buildup is in fact high concentration of calcium which increases the risk of heart attack and stroke. Low levels of vitamin D are also connected to high cholesterol, type 2 diabetes, obesity, hypertension, and overall heart health.
Vitamin D Sources
Always try to get the recommended daily amount of vitamin D, through some of the following sources:
- Sunlight,
- Fortified Plant-Based Milks,
- Orange Juice (fortified Vitamin D).
Via Scrubbing