Vitamin D deficiency — when the level of vitamin D in your body is too low — can cause your bones to become thin, brittle or misshapen. Vitamin D also appears to play a role in insulin production and immune function — and how this relates to chronic disease prevention and cancer — but this is still being investigated.
Vitamin D deficiency can lead to a loss of bone density, which can contribute to osteoporosis and fractures (broken bones). Severe vitamin D deficiency can also lead to other diseases. In children, it can cause rickets. Rickets is a rare disease that causes the bones to become soft and bend.
Today, 25(OH)D less than 12 ng/mL is considered evidence of severe vitamin D deficiency.
Vitamin D deficiency is associated with sudden cardiac death, combined cardiovascular events, and mortality in haemodialysis patients. It is known that patients with dialysis experience an excess mortality, mostly due to sudden cardiac death (SCD).
Vitamin D deficiency is most commonly caused by a lack of exposure to sunlight. Some disorders can also cause the deficiency. The most common cause is lack of exposure to sunlight, usually when the diet is deficient in vitamin D, but certain disorders can also cause the deficiency.
How Much Vitamin D Do I Need Per Day? Besides going outdoors in the sunshine, there are two others ways to improve the amount of vitamin D in your system: eating foods rich in vitamin D and supplements. “Adding an over-the-counter vitamin D supplement can make improvements in just three to four months time.
The odds ratio of being hospitalized if having severe vitamin D deficiency was 4.57 (95% CI 1.83, 11.4) (p = 0.001).
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].
Research shows that a lack of vitamin D in your body can lead to hair loss. One role vitamin D plays is stimulating new and old hair follicles. When there isn't enough vitamin D in your system, new hair growth can be stunted.
Therefore, conditions that affect the gut and digestion, like celiac disease, chronic pancreatitis, Crohn's disease, and cystic fibrosis, can reduce vitamin D absorption.
While the best timing has not been established, scientific data to confirm anecdotal reports that supplementing at night may interfere with sleep is unavailable. Current research suggests you can fit vitamin D into your routine whenever you prefer.
Vitamin D deficiency causes muscle weakness and pain in children and adults [27, 28]. Low bone density and osteopenia appear to contribute to chronic pain in patients with cystic fibrosis, and are related to low 25(OH)D levels [29, 30].
Oranges are one of the fruits rich in Vitamin D as its juice is fortified with calcium & vitamin D. This is one of the best sources of vitamin D for people who are lactose intolerant and cannot include milk & dairy products in their diet.
Depression
Vitamin D affects your mood as well. You may experience symptoms of depression due to low energy levels. Studies have also shown that vitamin D supplements can also help you fight the symptoms of depression.
Vitamin D is vital for making our muscles work efficiently and boosting energy levels, new research from Newcastle University has shown.
Increased levels of vitamin D and calcium in the body can contribute to several digestive issues like stomach pain, constipation and diarrhea. These can be the signs of other health issues as well, therefore it is important to inform your doctor if you are taking any supplements.
As a fat-soluble vitamin, vitamin D is stored in your body fat and liver. Excess levels of vitamin D in your system can lead to an array of complications and symptoms, including weakness and fatigue.
As summarized in Figure 1, vitamin D deficiency has been mechanistically and clinically linked to neurological diseases and neuropsychological disorders, cognitive impairment and neurodegenerative diseases [20,29,30,31,32,33,34].
Dean. "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 deficiencies can also result in bone diseases such as rickets in children and osteomalacia and osteoporosis in adults. But you may not be aware that if you're not getting enough vitamin D, you may also suffer from dizziness, headaches, and yes, low energy and fatigue.
Both vitamin D deficiency and quadriceps muscle weakness are associated with knee osteoarthritis (KOA) and pain.
"Most patients 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," says Dr. Lacey. Symptoms of vitamin D deficiency may include: Fatigue.