After normalizing their level, the fatigue symptoms improved significantly. In one study using 174 adults with fatigue and stable medical conditions, the researchers found 77.2 percent were deficient in vitamin D. Researchers have found that supplementing cancer patients suffering from fatigue with vitamin D can improve their symptoms. This is a common symptom of a variety of different health conditions, including sleep deprivation. Vitamin D deficiency can cause your bones to soften, called osteomalacia. Vitamin D regulates the level of calcium in your body, necessary to protect bone health. In one animal study, research demonstrated a vitamin D-deficient diet can induce deep muscle hypersensitivity that was not connected to low levels of calcium.
Some studies have suggested that nerves have vitamin D receptors that affect the perception of pain. Researchers believe most of those adults are deficient in vitamin D. Nearly half of all adults are affected by muscle pain. A blood test is the best way to determine your vitamin D levels, but here are some symptoms that may indicate your levels are low: Aching Muscles It’s essential to maintain healthy levels of vitamin D to help reduce your risk of viral and bacterial illness during cold and flu season when respiratory illnesses are prevalent, or if you’re immune-compromised and want to build your natural defenses against other infections. At this level, the number of people who are likely deficient in vitamin D would be significantly higher. They recommend vitamin D serum concentration levels from 40 ng/mL to 60 ng/mL or 100 nmol/L to 150 nmol/L.
However, Grassroots Health Nutrient Research Institute, an amalgamation of vitamin D scientists from around the world across many disciplines, calls for much higher concentration levels. Some researchers use a level of 20 nanograms per milliliter (ng/mL) or 50 nanomoles per liter (nmol/L) the ng/mL is used most frequently in the United States and nmol/L is the standard in Europe. It’s important to note that how the measurement of insufficiency and deficiency is defined depends on the serum concentrations used. However, as I discuss later in this article, today as many as 80 percent of people may be deficient in vitamin D. Data collected from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey in 2005-2006 showed a deficiency prevalence of 41.6 percent in the United States’ population. The main indicator of your vitamin D level is 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD). Vitamin D also affects genes that help regulate cell differentiation and apoptosis (programmed cell death). It helps reduce inflammation, which is necessary for the modulation of cell growth and immune function. Vitamin D performs many functions within the body, including maintaining adequate levels of calcium and phosphate, essential for normal bone mineralization.
Dr mercola vitamin d video skin#
It’s also called the sunshine vitamin since your skin makes vitamin D when exposed to ultraviolet light from the sun. Vitamin D insufficiency or deficiency can trigger several generalized symptoms that you may have associated with other health conditions. Vitamin D regulates the expression of hundreds of genes and is integral to biological functions that affect every bodily system. The importance of maintaining optimal levels of vitamin D can’t be overstated.