Symptoms Of A Vitamin D & Calcium Deficiency In Men

Vitamin and mineral deficiencies are more common in the United States than most Americans would assume. According to a 2006 article in "Mayo Clinic Proceedings," 57 percent of U.S general medicine inpatients are vitamin D deficient. Vitamin D deficiency mostly results from inadequate sunlight exposure, whereas calcium deficiency results mainly from an inadequate diet. Both vitamin D and calcium are essential for healthy bones and normal muscle function, which is why deficiencies primarily cause musculoskeletal symptoms.

Early Deficiency Symptoms

According to the National Institutes of Health, the recommended vitamin D daily allowance for men is 200 IU per day, although that amount is meant to avoid deficiency symptoms, not what may be required for optimal health. That amount of vitamin D is easily acquired through sun exposure, as light-skinned men can produce up to 10,000 IU in less than 30 minutes if fully exposed to mid-day, summer sunlight. However, darker skinned men produce up to six-times less vitamin D and are at greater risks of deficiency as a result. The early signs of vitamin D deficiency are profuse sweating, abnormal anxiety, fatigue and muscle cramps.

Recommended calcium intake for men ranges from 1,000 mg to 1,300 mg daily, depending on age. Calcium deficiency is more common in men who are lactose intolerant and avoid consuming dairy products. Darker skinned men, depending on ethnicity, have higher incidence of lactose intolerance compared to people of European ancestry. Early calcium deficiency symptoms include muscle cramps, "restless" leg muscles at night and numbness and tingling in the extremities.

Back Pain

As vitamin D and calcium deficiencies progress, musculoskeletal symptoms usually become more advanced and more noticeable. Both deficiencies are intertwined as vitamin D regulates calcium levels in the blood, contributes to the absorption of calcium from the intestines, and the re-absorption of calcium in the kidneys. More advanced symptoms of vitamin D and calcium deficiency include low back pain, diffuse bone pain, diffuse muscle cramps and muscle weakness.

Osteomalacia

Osteomalacia is a bone-thinning or softening disorder that occurs in adults and is caused by vitamin D or calcium deficiency, either through lack of sunlight exposure, inadequate diet or metabolic disorders. Osteomalacia can occur in children, but it is referred to as "rickets" instead. Osteomalacia is characterized primarily by proximal muscle weakness, muscle wasting, bone malformation and fragility.

Osteoporosis

Osteoporosis is characterized by reduced bone mineral density, of which calcium is the most essential, and increased bone fragility. Bones affected by osteoporosis are more at risk of fractures, especially compression fractures of the spine. Osteoporosis is much more common in women, but thin men with lack of muscle mass are at higher risk. Merely supplementing with minerals, such as calcium, does not reverse osteoporosis, as vitamin D is needed to "drive" the minerals into the bone.