Vitamin D Deficiency Symptoms

Vitamin D is part of the fat-soluble family of vitamins and is not a single vitamin. It, like most other vitamins, is a complex in that it consists of more than one component, these parts being vitamin D2 and D3.

Vitamin D is naturally produced by the human body when exposed to direct sunlight. When civilization and the
Industrial Revolution enabled people to work indoors and wear more clothes than when in the sun, these cultural changes reduced natural production of vitamin D and caused deficiency diseases.

Vitamin D is important for maintaining well-mineralized teeth and bones, blood calcium levels, and prevention of ‘flu. Vitamin D can help prevent bone pain/soft bone, depression, cancer, heart disease, poor or poor assimilation of calcium, leading to osteoporosis.

One of the main sources of vitamin D is sunlight. Unfortunately, very few of us get sufficient sunlight working indoors all day.

Studies show that this may contribute to large-scale deficiencies of this vital nutrient and could be one of the reasons for increased heart disease, cancers, depression and the consequent use of anti-depressants.

If you ever felt your spirits dampened during cold spells, it may not be your imagination – you really could be experiencing the same dreary mood as the weather – lack of sunlight and vitamin D.

Those of us living in sunny Florida most likely get sufficient vitamin D from the sun during the summer but, unfortunately, the winter sunlight is too weak. So, even though you live in a sunny part of the country, you could still be deficient during the winter months.

If you spend most of your time working and “playing” indoors, you are more than likely deficient. Experts estimate the average person needs to 15 – 30 minutes uncovered in the sun daily.

So, given our lifestyles, it would be useful to discuss additional sources of vitamin D. Foods rich in vitamin D include:

• shrimp
• eggs
• fish
• fish oils
• liver