Left untreated, vitamin D deficiency can lead to osteoporosis in adults, rickets in children and adverse outcomes in pregnant women. It may also be linked to heart disease, diabetes and cancer — although more study is needed on the topic.
Today, 25(OH)D less than 12 ng/mL is considered evidence of severe vitamin D deficiency.
Vitamin D3 deficiency can result in obesity, diabetes, hypertension, depression, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, osteoporosis and neuro-degenerative diseases including Alzheimer's disease. Vitamin D deficiency may even contribute to the development of cancers, especially breast, prostate, and colon cancers.
The majority of patients with vitamin D deficiency are asymptomatic. However, even mild chronic vitamin D deficiency can lead to chronic hypocalcemia and hyperparathyroidism which can contribute risk of osteoporosis, falls and fractures especially in the elderly population.
Fatigue. Bone pain. Muscle weakness, muscle aches or muscle cramps. Mood changes, like depression.
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].
Generally, it takes a few weeks of taking daily vitamin D supplements for vitamin D levels in the body to rise. Each 1,000 IU of vitamin D3 taken daily is expected to raise blood levels of 25(OH)D by 10 ng/ml after a few weeks.
Symptoms of Vitamin D Deficiency
Vitamin D deficiency presents similar symptoms to those of depression: Mood changes accompanied by overwhelming feelings of hopelessness, sadness, and hopelessness. Fatigue. Forgetfulness.
FALLING SICK OFTEN
When your body runs low on vitamin D, it affects your immunity, making you more prone to ailments like cold and flu, fever, allergies, asthma, and eczema. These are just a few among more than 80 illnesses that can be caused by problems with the immune function.
Therefore, conditions that affect the gut and digestion, like celiac disease, chronic pancreatitis, Crohn's disease, and cystic fibrosis, can reduce vitamin D absorption.
Research indicates that there is a strong link between vitamin D deficiency and anxiety as well as depression. Individuals struggling with a mental illness may turn to problematic behavior to mask the pain.
"Adequate levels of magnesium in the body are essential for the absorption and metabolism not only of vitamin D but of calcium as well," Dean states. "Magnesium converts vitamin D into its active form so that it can help calcium absorption.
Vitamin D and sleep: The surprising connection
Early research suggests it is inversely related to melatonin, your sleep hormone. Increasing vitamin D levels may suppress melatonin levels. So, it makes sense that taking it at night could disrupt your sleep.
Many studies show that overweight and obese people have low vitamin D levels when compared to their slimmer counterparts. And some studies link increased belly fat to vitamin D deficiency. In fact, according to a Medical News Today article, an increase in overall body fat and low vitamin D seem to go hand in hand.
Yes, multiple studies show that a deficiency of this vitamin can lead to joint pain and swelling. As Vitamin D is required for bone building and bone health, therefore a deficiency of it will negatively affect the bones.
Furthermore, Vitamin D deficiency leads to dysbiosis of gut microbiome and reported to cause severe colitis.
There's no set time of day that's best to take vitamin D supplements. Some people say taking vitamin D supplements at night is an insomnia risk. There's no research to confirm this, but you might want to take your supplement earlier in the day if you think it's screwing with your sleep.
Use the CVS Health At Home Vitamin D Test Kit to get accurate and comprehensive results in the privacy and comfort of your own home. Simply collect your blood sample using this convenient kit, mail it to the lab, and receive your results through a secure online portal in just a few days.
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.