Recent studies have associated Vitamin D deficiency with risk of several types of cancer. Certain cancers like ovarian, breast, colon, and multiple myelomas have shown strong association with deficiency of vit D3.
There isn't enough good evidence to link low levels of vitamin D (vitamin D deficiency) to cancer. But vitamin D deficiency can cause other health conditions, including rickets in children and bone problems in adults.
To date, results from studies examining the association between vitamin D levels and thyroid cancer have been mixed. Some studies have suggested a protective effect, whereas others studies have indicated that higher levels of vitamin D are linked to thyroid cancer in patients with lymph node metastases.
Today, 25(OH)D less than 12 ng/mL is considered evidence of severe vitamin D deficiency.
For most adults, vitamin D deficiency is not a concern. However, some groups — particularly people who are obese, who have dark skin and who are older than age 65 — may have lower levels of vitamin D due to their diets, little sun exposure or other factors.
Therefore, conditions that affect the gut and digestion, like celiac disease, chronic pancreatitis, Crohn's disease, and cystic fibrosis, can reduce vitamin D absorption.
There was also an independent association of higher lung cancer incidence with lower UVB irradiance (50). These results suggest that lower production of vitamin D may be a risk factor for lung cancer. Some studies have also shown a direct association between lung cancer incidence and vitamin D status.
Epidemiologic evidence suggests that lower circulating vitamin D levels are associated with a higher risk of ovarian cancer [3]. Furthermore, a recent meta-analysis showed that vitamin D supplementation is associated with a 13% decrease in cancer mortality [4].
Many cases of leukemia across the globe may be caused by vitamin D deficiency as a result of low sunlight exposure.
Vitamin D deficiency can occur for a number of reasons: You don't consume the recommended levels of the vitamin over time. This is likely if you follow a strict vegan diet, because most of the natural sources are animal-based, including fish and fish oils, egg yolks, fortified milk, and beef liver.
“Adding an over-the-counter vitamin D supplement can make improvements in just three to four months time. Vitamin D with a strength of 1000-2000 international units daily is the recommended dose for most adults,” Dr.
Without magnesium present, Vitamin D is stored in the body and not used. The body depends on magnesium to convert Vitamin D into its active form within the body. Magnesium also helps Vitamin D bind to its target proteins, as well as helping the liver and the kidneys to metabolize Vitamin D.
Having inadequate levels of vitamin D may correlate with unintentional weight gain. A study on women over the age of 65 found that participants with a lower vitamin D level experienced more weight gain. A systematic review of 23 different studies found similar associations between vitamin D deficiency and obesity.
Growing evidence has demonstrated that vitamin D has a role in sleep regulation [12]. Specifically, vitamin D deficiency (VDD) can increase risk of sleep disorders and is associated with sleep difficulties, shorter sleep duration, and nocturnal awakenings in children and adults [13,14,15].
Most people with vitamin D deficiency are asymptomatic. However, if you're exhausted, your bones hurt, you have muscle weakness or mood changes, that's an indication that something may be abnormal with your body. Symptoms of vitamin D deficiency may include: Fatigue.
Low vitamin D levels were linked with an increased risk of both dementia and stroke over the following 11 years. Based on this observational study, people with low vitamin D levels were found to have a 54% greater chance of developing dementia compared with people whose levels were normal.
Vitamin D stimulates hair follicles to grow, and so when the body does not have enough, the hair may be affected. A vitamin D deficiency may also be linked to alopecia areata, an autoimmune condition that causes patchy hair loss.
Vitamin D insufficiency may relate to higher levels of anxiety and depression, in turn contributing to the elevated risk of psychosis in this population.
Vitamin D insufficiency is common in the United States, with low levels linked in some studies to higher cancer incidence, including non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL).
For people with lymphoma, low levels of vitamin D can lead to poorer outcomes, both in terms of disease progression and overall survival.