Vitamin D is crucial to bone health. Foods rich in this vitamin include fortified milk and cereal, fish, egg yolks and liver. The sun contributes significantly to our body's production of vitamin D. The Mayo Clinic reports that "as little as 10 minutes of exposure [to the sun] is thought to be enough to prevent deficiencies." Harvard School of Public Health reports that 1 billion people worldwide have a vitamin D deficiency.
Osteomalacia
Osteomalacia is a disorder in which bones become softer and begin to bow and fracture. What distinguishes this condition from osteoporosis is that osteomalacia is a result of a defective bone-building process. According to the Mayo Clinic, it is typically caused by a vitamin D deficiency. Bone pain and muscle weakness are signs of osteomalacia and the best treatment is replenishing vitamin D and calcium and treating the disorders causing your deficiencies.
Rickets
Rickets is similar to osteomalacia in that it causes softening of the bones, but rickets is a condition that affects children. The cause is an extreme and prolonged vitamin D deficiency. Adding vitamin D to a child's diet may eliminate the symptoms and can even correct bone problems.
Fractures
The Harvard School of Public Health indicates that a vitamin D deficiency increases the risk of fractures in older adults. A 2007 study published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism found that taking a vitamin D supplement reduced the risk of bone fractures in elderly people by 25 percent. Taking about 800 IU (international units) of vitamin D daily could avert hip and spine fractures.
Heart Disease
Recently, researchers found that heart disease could be a sign of vitamin D deficiency. A 2008 study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine found that low levels of vitamin D were linked to a higher risk of coronary heart disease. The study looked at more than 18,000 men aged 40 to 75 with no cardiovascular disease at the start of the trial. The men who had sufficient levels of vitamin D were half as likely to have a heart attack, compared with those with inadequate levels.
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