What is vitamin D?
Vitamins play a significant role in keeping your body healthy. Vitamin D, also known as “the sunshine vitamin,” keeps your bones healthy while also helping prevent the development of diseases and illnesses.
While your body can produce vitamin D, it can’t produce it on its own. Instead, your body produces vitamin D when exposed to sunlight. Vitamin D can also be found in certain foods like fish, fish oil, and egg yolks.
What is a vitamin D deficiency?
If you don’t have enough exposure to sunlight or don’t eat enough foods with vitamin D, you may develop a vitamin D deficiency which causes a variety of health issues.
You are at increased risk of developing a vitamin D deficiency if you:
- Eat a vegan diet
- Are obese
- Aren’t exposed to sunlight
- Have kidney issues
- Have a family history of vitamin D deficiencies
- Are an older adult
- Have Crohn's or celiac disease
What are symptoms of a vitamin D deficiency?
Some symptoms of vitamin D deficiency are mild and may go away as your diet changes or as your exposure to sunlight increases. For example, some people may experience a vitamin D deficiency during winter months when days are shorter, only to have levels improve during the summer when the sun is out more.
Symptoms of a vitamin D deficiency include:
- Frequent illness
- Extreme fatigue
- Hair loss
- Muscle and bone pain
- Muscle weakness
How is a vitamin D deficiency diagnosed?
Your practitioner at Evia Medical Center diagnoses vitamin D deficiencies through a blood test that checks your vitamin D levels. You’ll also have a nutrition evaluation to help identify any other vitamin deficiencies you may have. For most people, a level of 12 nanograms/millimeter indicates a vitamin D deficiency.
How is a vitamin D deficiency treated?
Since a vitamin D deficiency means you don’t have enough vitamin D, the best way to treat it is to increase your vitamin D intake.
Treatment options include:
- More exposure to sunlight/UV rays
- Taking vitamin D supplements
- Consuming foods with high vitamin D content
Vitamin D promotes healthy bones and prevents illnesses. Make an appointment today at Evia Medical Center for a nutrition evaluation to check your vitamin D levels and maintain your health.
