Health Bite

Do you get exhausted easily? Do you get palpitations very often? Do your muscles feel sore and weak? Well, then there is a great likelihood that you could be a victim of Vitamin D deficiency.

Vitamin D (calciferol) belongs to a group of fat soluble secosteroids. In humans, vitamin D is unique because of its functions as a prohormone as well as its synthesis to vitamin D3 in the body when exposed to adequate sunlight.

Vitamin D regulates the concentration of calcium and phosphate in the body and promotes healthy growth and remodelling of the bone. Vitamin D prevents rickets in children and osteomalacia in adults. Along with calcium, it protects elder adults from osteoporosis.

Vitamin D also affects neuromuscular functions, causes inflammation and influences the action of many genes that regulate proliferation and apoptosis of the cells. Vitamin D is also essential for the healthy growth of hair follicle as well as for a healthy immune system. Vitamin D deficiency is the main cause of rickets in young infants because breast milk is low in vitamin D and so is the cereal based diet.

Vitamin D & Bones

Vitamin D deficiency is known to cause several bone diseases like:

• Rickets, a childhood disease characterised by impeded growth and deformity of the long bones. The earliest sign of subclinical vitamin D deficiency is abnormal softening or thinning of the skull
• Osteomalacia, a bone-thinning disorder that occurs exclusively in adults, and is characterised by proximal muscle weakness and bone fragility
• Osteoporosis, a condition characterised by reduced bone mineral density and increased bone fragility

People At Risk

• Naturally dark skinned people
• Elderly & people who are housebound
• People who cover their skin for religious or cultural reasons
• Babies & infants of vitamin D deficient mothers, especially breast fed babies

Signs & Symptoms

• Poor growth in children
• Delayed tooth formation
• Dental deformities
• Tingling
• Weakness
• Muscle cramps
• Bone pain
• Spine and other bone deformities
• Stooped posture and loss of height

Managing Vitamin D Deficiency

25 hydroxyvitamin D level of 20 ng/ml (nanogram/mililitre) in serum is desirable for bone and overall health. Vitamin D intake lower than 100 International Unit (IU)/day is associated with increased risk of hip fracture.

Oral vitamin D replacement or intramuscular injections are prescribed to treat Vitamin D deficiency.

Vitamin D Facts

• Without sufficient vitamin D, which is crucial for calcium absorption in your intestines, your body cannot absorb calcium, thus rendering calcium supplements useless
• Sunscreens, even the ones like SPF-8 block your body’s ability to generate vitamin D by 95%. Therefore, sunscreen products can create critical vitamin deficiency in the body
• Natural sunlight rays responsible for generating vitamin D in your skin cannot penetrate glass. Therefore, your body can not generate vitamin D from the sunlight you receive while sitting in your car or home

Research Highlights

Research shows that dark skinned people living in the temperate climate have low Vitamin D levels as melanin in the skin hinders vitamin D synthesis.