Symptoms of low Vitamin D form quite a list. How man egg (yolks) do you eat per day? Per week? Did you know that up to 80% of Americans may be low in Vitamin D? There are only a few foods that can help you get enough Vitamin D each day. Besides egg yolks these include some fish and fish liver oils – unfortunately, neither is high on many of our daily food list.
Vitamin D and Sunshine
Vitamin D is known as the sunshine vitamin because the sun helps us get our required amounts of Vitamin D. However, it can still be hard to get it from sunshine. We are challenged in the winter months, and wearing sunscreen plus other factors can challenge us in the warmer months as well. It makes sense to supplement from October through April each year, especially if you live in the northern half of the U.S. because there is high chance you aren’t getting enough of this nutrient daily.
Vitamin D is traditionally associated with helping to keep our bones and teeth strong, along with calcium. There are many more roles of this nutrient in your body. It helps to regulate cells throughout your body, and it is involved in your insulin production and your immune health. Vitamin D also helps to prevent inflammation in your body, which is associated with many illnesses and diseases.
Here are some symptoms associated with low levels of Vitamin D in your body:
Symptoms of Low Vitamin D
- Fatigue
- Muscle Weakness
- Allergies and Asthma
- Diabetes
- Depression
- Cardiovascular Disease
- High Blood Pressure
- Obesity
- Arthritis
- Back Pain
- Other Bone Pain
- Osteoporosis
- Dental Problems
- Fibromyalgia
- Lupus
- MS
- Kidney Problems
- Thyroid Problems
- Psoriasis
- Seasonal Affects Disorder
WebMD lists even more reasons why you might not get enough Vitamin D:
“You don’t consume the recommended levels of the vitamin over time. This is likely if you follow a strict vegetarian diet, because most of the natural sources are animal-based, including fish and fish oils, egg yolks, cheese, fortified milk, and beef liver.
Your exposure to sunlight is limited. Because the body makes vitamin D when your skin is exposed to sunlight, you may be at risk of deficiency if you are homebound, live in northern latitudes, wear long robes or head coverings for religious reasons, or have an occupation that prevents sun exposure.
You have dark skin. The pigment melanin reduces the skin’s ability to make vitamin D in response to sunlight exposure. Some studies show that older adults with darker skin are at high risk of vitamin D deficiency.
Your kidneys cannot convert vitamin D to its active form. As people age their kidneys are less able to convert vitamin D to its active form, thus increasing their risk of vitamin D deficiency.
Your digestive tract cannot adequately absorb vitamin D. Certain medical problems, including Crohn’s disease, cystic fibrosis, and celiac disease, can affect your intestine’s ability to absorb vitamin D from the food you eat.
You are obese. Vitamin D is extracted from the blood by fat cells, altering its release into the circulation. People with a body mass index of 30 or greater often have low blood levels of vitamin D.”
Low Vitamin D
Aging is yet another factor to consider. We lose efficiency in manufacturing Vitamin D in our bodies as we grow older. That may be reason enough to take a daily supplement. Factor in some of the above reasons that may also affect you, and there’s a pretty good chance a routine blood test might show your deficiency.
How easy is it to take a Vitamin D supplement?
If you can swallow a small tablet, that’s easy.
With Vitamin D (even high quality sources) one of the least expensive supplements to purchase, that makes it easy.
If you are committed to feeling better and doing what it takes to get that result, it’s very easy to set a certain time of the day, every day, to swallow that tablet.