A Look At Vitamin D Deficiency Symptoms

By Kerri Stout


Life today for many people can prove to be far more hectic than ever before. Some find themselves under so much pressure at home or work they barely have time to stop for lunches or regular nutritious meals on schedule. Fast food and missed meals cannot provide the nutritional values needed to support a healthy body. Many people are suffering from vitamin D deficiency symptoms and are totally unaware of it.

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.

Because the most common signs of this problem are so difficult to detect it often goes untreated. Bone pain and weakness are two complaints most often stated and most doctors do not request the test needed when they order blood tests for their patients. Many times the patient will suggest the doctor ask for this test.

Those who have endured this problem are able to give a more detailed description of the problems they had. Many of them say that their joints and especially their hips are very painful. The pain is so extreme that they have trouble standing up from a seated position. They also relate that they have suffered massive hair loss, cognitive problems that cause problems focusing and thinking and chronic fatigue that sometimes leaves them with no energy to move.

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.

There are multiple studies regarding the effects of D vitamins on various long term conditions. There are links to serious childhood asthma, heart disease and some forms of cancer that have been identified as connected to insufficient amounts of D vitamins in the body. High blood pressure has also been shown to greatly improve when patients are treated with this supplement and there is evidence that suggests using them can reduce the risk of contracting multiple sclerosis or falling.

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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