Vitamin D is fat soluble and is responsible for absorption of calcium in our body. Apart from this function, it also plays a vital role in strengthening our body’s immunity. It is also called sunshine vitamin as it can be synthesized in the body when it is exposed to sun. Direct sun exposure helps the body in converting cholesterol into vitamin D.
People residing in cold countries where sun shine is limited, pregnant women and people who spend most of their time indoors are susceptible to vitamin D deficiency. Some people may even have a failure of mechanism whereby vitamin D is not synthesized in their bodies at all. In this write up we will look at the various symptoms that indicate a deficiency of this vitamin.
Symptoms Indicating Lack Of Vitamin D
Rickets
This disorder is caused when a woman suffers from deficiency of vitamin D during her pregnancy. This makes the baby’s bones soft and brittle. As the baby begins to walk, the leg bones tend to bow towards the outer side under the weight, which is also the main symptom of rickets.
This disorder is now rare in developed nations but may occur where the sun remains hidden for most part of the year whereas in developing countries the main reason behind rickets is undernourishment. In both the cases vitamin D supplements can help in developing and strengthening the bones thereby avoiding this disorder altogether.
Osteoporosis
As mentioned earlier, deficiency of vitamin D discourages absorption of calcium by the body. This leads to Osteoporosis among the adults especially ageing adults. This disorder is characterized by existence of holes and increase in porosity of the bones. These pores make bones soft and vulnerable to fractures.
Mostly women have been found to be more susceptible to this condition. People suffering from this condition experience loss of bone as well as its density. People who have had deficiency of vitamin D during their child and adulthood are most likely to develop this condition.
Vulnerability To Infections
Vitamin D strengthens and nurtures the immunity of our body. Deficiency of this vitamin has been known to make people susceptible to various viral and bacterial infections. Especially people who suffer from auto immune diseases are prescribed the vitamin D supplements.Patients who have HIV AIDS, diabetes, thyroid dysfunction are usually seen to have this deficiency which can be corrected to some extent with the help of supplements and exposure to sunlight.
Periodontal Disease
If there is persistent and continuous dental issues like swelling, bleeding, pain, gap between the teeth, lightly grounded teeth that move easily and brittle teeth, then it might be deficiency of vitamin D. Even if in spite of maintaining good dental hygiene the dental issues persist then you must look into raising your vitamin D intake. Especially during pregnancy periodontal diseases can cause a lot of other complications including premature birth, pre eclampsia etc.
Depression
Lack of vitamin D is linked with feeling low and increasing clinical depression. Many studies have found a direct link between deficiency of vitamin D and depression.These studies have been conducted mainly on women and without altering their medications, the only change made was to administer vitamin D supplements on them. This balanced their vitamin D levels and significantly improved the symptoms of their depression.
