How Vitamin D Deficiency Can Impact Your Overall Health?

You can get the sunshine vitamin from various available sources with sunrays being the most vital source. It is worth mentioning here that aged people and individuals with dark skin tone may not get adequate vitamin D via sunlight. The geographical location also determines intake of vitamin D in your body via sunlight exposure.

Vitamin D, popularly known as sunshine vitamin, plays significant role in your body especially for your bone and muscles health. It tends to affect commonly people above the age of 65 and those with darker skin tone. However, the good thing is that vitamin D deficiency is curable.

It occurs when your body fails to get adequate vitamin D and it may causes issues with bones and muscles as it the body uses it for proper bone development. Apart from bone and muscle health, it plays vital role in the human body’s nervous system, immunity, and musculoskeletal.  

Sources of Vitamin D

• You can get the sunshine vitamin from various available sources with sunrays being the most vital source. It is worth mentioning here that aged people and individuals with dark skin tone may not get adequate vitamin D via sunlight. The geographical location also determines intake of vitamin D in your body via sunlight exposure. Now a days, vitamin D deficiency has emerged a global problem.   

• Fatty Fish that may include salmon, sardines, and mackerel

• Egg Yolks

• Certain kinds of mushroom exposed to ultraviolet light has the potential of creating adequate amounts of vitamin D. These varieties include shiitake and maitake.

• Fortified milk can be a good source of vitamin D. Milk and several milk products have been fortified with vitamin D.  

• Fortified plant-based milks such as Soy, almond, and oat are also vital sources of vitamin D.

• Cottage Cheese can be another addition to diet that can fulfill deficiency of vitamin D. Regular consumption of these foods can boost healthy eating habits as they are rich source of sustainable nutrition.

• Tofu

• Ghee

• Buttermilk

Significance of Vitamin D

• Adequate presence of Vitamin D in your body helps you stay fit and healthy. The sunshine vitamin performs the vital function of maintaining right balance of calcium in the blood and bones. It helps in building bones and muscles.  

• Vitamin D is needed so that the body may use the calcium and phosphorous to build healthy bones and support healthy tissues

• In the absence of adequate intake of vitamin D, there will a dip in calcium and phosphorous absorption by intestines that can cause hypocalcemia or low calcium presence in blood. It may cause secondary hyperparathyroidism also known as overactive parathyroid glands attempting to keep blood calcium levels normal, according to a report published in Cleveland Clinic.  

• In case of severe hypocalcemia and hyperparathyroidism, symptoms such as weak muscles, fatigue, and depression may arise.  

Dr. Saurabh Sethi, MD, MPH, California-based, double board-certified gastroenterologist and hepatologist with extensive training from AIIMS, Harvard, and Stanford took to his Instagram handle (@doctor.sethi) and explained the significance of Vitamin D for our body.

He said, “it is not just a vitamin in your body. It actually works more like a hormone controlling over 200 genes. Food sources are rare and you need to eat piles of salmon, tune, eggs, mushrooms just to match the vitamin D your skin make in 15 minutes of sun. Its deficiency is usually silent. You can be low in vitamin D for years without any obvious symptoms. It often shows up as fatigue, low mood, or frequent infections. Too much of vitamin D can backfire. High dose supplements can cause kidney problems.”

He concluded by recommending getting adequate sun exposure for at least 10 to 30 minutes.