Indications Of Vitamin D Deficiency

More than 1 billion people have a deficiency of vitamin D, estimates the Harvard School of Public Health. If you live in the northern half of the United States, where the sun's rays are weaker, you are probably vitamin D deficient. In 2010, the Institute of Medicine initiated a review of dietary guidelines for Vitamin D due to recent research showing new chronic health risks from low vitamin D. The recommended dietary levels of vitamin D were last adjusted in 1997 to prevent the then known bone complications of deficiency. Several health problems can indicate a deficiency of vitamin D.

Laboratory Tests

Most people with vitamin D deficiency have no symptoms. As more becomes known about chronic health effects of vitamin D deficiency, screening tests of healthy people are becoming more common. National Institutes of Health, Office of Dietary Supplements explains testing measures the stable precursor, calcidiol, 25-hydroxyvitamin D, which is converted in the kidney to the active form 1,25- dihyroxyvitamin D. Typically, an abnormal lab test is the only indication that you have vitamin D deficiency before developing a chronic disease.

Rickets

Vitamin D deficiency leads to decreased absorption of calcium from the intestine. Low vitamin D and calcium levels can cause children to develop abnormal bone, which is a disease known as rickets. Symptoms include bowed legs and arms, deformed ribs and delayed closure of soft spots in the skull. Rickets used to be treated with vitamin D rich cod liver oil. After fortification of dairy products started, rickets became rare but now it is again being seen in the U.S., primarily in African-American infants.

Muscle Weakness And Fractures

Severe vitamin D deficiency causes calcium to be reabsorbed from bones in adults leading to osteomalacia. Patients have soft painful bones as well as muscle weakness. There is an increased risk of falling due to muscle weakness. Osteoporosis or brittle bones results from bones being broken down faster than they are rebuilt. Osteoporosis is now being linked to low levels of vitamin D. Oregon State University Linus Pauling Institute cites several studies showing women taking 700 to 1,000 IU vitamin D supplements daily had fewer osteoporotic fractures and fewer falls.

Heart Attack

People who have heart attacks often have multiple risk factors, such as high cholesterol and diabetes. Vitamin D is now identified as a risk factor. Low vitamin D levels doubled the risk of having heart attacks over a 10-year period and having slightly below normal vitamin D levels increased risk of heart attack to a lesser extent, according to a study by Edward Giovannucci of Harvard School of Public Health.

Colon Cancer

Harvard School of Public Health states several studies suggest a link between low vitamin D levels and increased risk of cancer, especially colon cancer. This link is also suggested by the higher occurrence of colon cancer in the northern half of the U.S.