Vitamin D is a group of five fat-soluble organic compounds known as secosteroids. Of the five forms, vitamins D2 and D3 are the most physiologically essential. Vitamin D3, also known as cholecalciferol, is produced by the skin in response to the ultraviolet-B radiation from sunshine, as noted by MayoClinic.com. Lack of appropriate sun exposure and inadequate dietary intake can result in vitamin D deficiency, which causes characteristic symptoms.
Initial Symptoms
The U.S. Department of Agriculture recommends 200 IU of vitamin D per day for adults, but that level is meant to avoid acute deficiency, not maintain robust health. In contrast, fully exposed Caucasian skin can produce approximately 10,000 IU of vitamin D3 in response to only 20 minutes of mid-summer sunshine, which is 50 times greater than daily government recommendations. Consequently, people not in the sun, nor supplementing, nor consuming enriched products such as milk, are likely experiencing vitamin D3 deficiency symptoms. The initial signs of deficiency are excessive sweating, heightened anxiety, fatigue and muscle cramps.
Bone Malformation
One of the best studied and long-established benefits of vitamin D3 is its essential role in the health of the musculoskeletal system. Vitamin D3 deficiency causes rickets, or soft bones, in children and osteomalacia in adults, a painful bone malformation disease. Less well known is that vitamin D3 deficiency also contributes to osteopenia, osteoporosis and muscle weakness, which all increase the risk of fractures from falls in the elderly.
Chronic Back Pain
Musculoskeletal disorders, such as muscle weakness and chronic back pain, have been associated with vitamin D3 deficiency in numerous studies. A 2007 study of Egyptian women published in the journal, "Clinical Rheumatology," found that chronic low back pain lasting more than three months was linked to significantly lower vitamin D3 intake.
Depression and Reduced Cognition
Lack of sunshine, or seasonal affective disorder, has been linked to depression, but the underlying cause might be vitamin D3 deficiency. Depression, psychiatric and neurological disorders have all been linked to vitamin D3 deficiency, especially in geriatric adults who have higher incidence of deficiency. A 2006 study of older adults, half of which had Alzheimer's disease, found that vitamin D3 deficiency was associated with low mood and with impairment on two of four measures of cognitive performance. This study was published in the "American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry."
Other Symptoms and Conditions
Researchers have linked many other diseases to vitamin D3 deficiency. According to "Professional Guide to Diseases," low levels of vitamin D can impair the functioning of the immune system, cause high blood pressure and fibromyalgia, and contribute to diabetes, multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis and macular degeneration.
References
- MayoClinic: Vitamin D3 Synthesis
- "The Vitamins, Third Edition"; Gerald F. Combs; 2007
- "Professional Guide to Diseases, Eighth Edition"; Springhouse; 2005
- "Clinical Rheumatology"; Hypovitaminosis D in female patients with chronic low back pain; A. Lotfi et al; March, 2007
- "American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry"; Vitamin D deficiency is associated with low mood and worse cognitive performance in older adults; C.H. Wilkins et al; December, 2006
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