You are taking a well balanced diet, make sure that you get enough sleep and do your exercise regularly. You are also careful to put on your SPF to protect your skin from the UV rays. You make sure that you always choose healthier options. Yet, you could be overlooking a crucial aspect of your life that is increasing the chances of diabetes and high blood pressure by more than two times. This is what Dr. Michael Holick of the Boston University Medical Center has to say. He also authored The Vitamin D Solution. He is a professor of biophysics and physiology.
Do you know that 1 out of every 7 person on the planet suffers from vitamin D deficiency. This is what the Harvard School of Public Health has to say. (If you want to take control over your life, you should check out Prevention.)
According to Carole Beggarly, who is director at GrassrootsHealth, it is possible for your Medicaid and insurance to cover your blood test. Her organization works to raise awareness about the deficiency of vitamin D and how to deal with it.
She states that it is crucial that you know where you stand in terms of vitamin D deficiency so that you can take proper supplementation. If you assay states that you have low amount of vitamin D, you should see your doctor and get supplementation. In that case, you will need around 600-1,000 IU vitamin D3. Vitamin D3 is also called cholecalciferol. It is the type of vitamin D which our body generates after being exposed to sunlight.
But the key is to determine if you are deficient or not.
The following 5 signs will tell you if you are suffering from vitamin D deficiency!
1. If you Sweat Excessively
It is usually not possible to tell if your baby is deficient in vitamin D. But a good way to determine this is if your baby is often sweating on the forehead. According to Holick, the same formula applies to adults as well. Even if you are sweating when you are not engaging in physical activity and your temperature is still around 98.6 degrees, you should consider undergoing a vitamin D test.
2. Feeling Weak Without Any Reason
There is more to muscular strength than just lifting weight in the gym. Deficiency of vitamin D can make you feel excessively tired even if you are getting enough sleep. But if you take adequate vitamin D, it can help in returning your energy levels without concern you are a young chap or an old fellow.
According to researchers at Harvard, supplementing vitamin D will help in boosting muscular control. This can help in reducing falls in adults of 60+ years by more than 20 percent. (This Vitamin D Diet can help you boost your vitamin D levels and eliminate fat by almost 70 percent).
The Western Journal of Medicine’s study makes a big revelation about vitamin D supplementation. It shows that you can remove your vitamin D related muscular weakness within 6 months of taking proper D supplementations.
3. Severe Pain
Dr. Holick elaborates on another symptom of vitamin D deficiency. He claims that the pain is usually mild, but in some cases it can increase in the form of both pains and ache in the bones. This condition is called osteomalacia. If you have been diagnosed with fibromyalgia or arthritis, you may be suffering from vitamin D deficiency because it could cause pain in the muscles and joints.
According to the doctor if your pain lasts weeks, you should see your doctor and get checked for the vitamin’s deficiency.
Beggarly states that when your body gets sufficient vitamin D, it can help in preventing post-exercise pains. It can also boost the pace at which your muscles recover.
4. Breaking Bones
Our bone mass development ceases once we cross the 30’s threshold. But if there is deficiency of vitamin D, the condition can worsen – especially if you also have osteoporosis (published – American Journal of Clinical Nutrition).
Fortification has been an effective treatment for rickets. It was first started in the 1930s. But Dr. Holick says that it is not possible to fulfill the demand for vitamin D from diet alone. You will have to combine the 3 – sunlight, food and supplementation.
5. Feeling Depressed
Many times a diagnosis of depression is usually connected to deficiency of vitamin D. The underlying reasons have not yet been established, but according to the Vitamin D Council the vitamin could be associated with the related areas of the brain. It may also affect the same hormones that affect our mood – serotonin is one such hormone.
Source: Prevention