The actual cause of fatigue is a hotly debated subject. For years, science has tried to figure out how to minimize fatigue in the human body so that people will be able to do more with their time and meet ever-increasing obligations. Vitamin D is an essential vitamin for the human body, and no scientific studies prove that vitamin D causes fatigue.
Vitamin D Necessity
Vitamin D is an essential vitamin for human growth. Vitamin D is not something that you generally want to restrict in your diet. Most vitamin D in your body, however, does not come from the food you eat but rather from sunlight. A deficiency of vitamin D in your body can cause health problems, including bone pain or tenderness, dental deformities and muscle cramps.
Sun Exposure
Many people think vitamin D causes fatigue based on how they feel after spending time in the sun. Vitamin D is produced in your body when the sun's rays hit your skin. However, the exhaustion you feel after extended exposure to the sun is not from the vitamin D. Instead, the cause of the exhaustion is more likely from physical exertion, heat or dehydration.
Vitamin D Deficiency and Fatigue
A vitamin D deficiency can lead to symptoms that resemble fatigue. These symptoms include muscle pain and weakness related to the low levels of calcium absorption. Because vitamin D plays a vital role in the body's ability to process and use calcium, a lack of this vitamin can affect muscles and bones in ways that closely resemble general fatigue. In fact, vitamin D deficiency is often referred to as "Chronic Fatigue Syndrome." Even if the two syndromes are not the same, however, they are closely related.
Vitamin D Deficiency and Depression
Low levels of vitamin D may also lead to depression. While scientific studies are inconclusive about the exact nature of the causal effect of a vitamin D deficiency on depression, according to the Vitamin D Council, some studies conclude that a vitamin D deficiency may cause seasonal variations in mood, leading to depression. For example, a 1998 Australian study concluded that a vitamin D deficiency "provided a compelling explanation for seasonal variations in mood." However, other studies have concluded that vitamin D deficiency does not cause seasonal affective disorder.
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