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Low Vitamin D & Feeling Tired

Jun 14, 2011 | By Jan Millehan
Low Vitamin D & Feeling Tired
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Vitamin D, a fat-soluble vitamin found in limited food sources, is necessary for bone and immune-system health. A lack of this essential vitamin can produce symptoms such as brittle bones and mild-to-severe fatigue. A link may exist between low levels of vitamin D and conditions that can cause fatigue, including multiple sclerosis. Consult your doctor before taking vitamin D to boost your energy.

Vitamin D Deficiency

A variety of factors can contribute to insufficient amounts of vitamin D in your body, including a lack of exposure to the sun, a diet lacking vitamin D-rich sources, such as fatty fish, and impaired absorption in your gut. Older adults face an increased risk of developing a vitamin D deficiency because their skin cannot effectively absorb this vitamin. The Institute of Medicine recommends people ages 1 to 70 take 600 IU of vitamin D daily. Adults 70 and older need a daily vitamin D intake of 800 IU. A deficiency occurs when your blood-serum levels indicate less than 12 nanograms per milliliter of vitamin D. A lack of vitamin D can result in unhealthy bones, poor immune-system function and fatigue.

Chronic Fatigue

A vitamin D deficiency can increase fatigue in people diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome. The University of Maryland Medical Center recommends that people with this syndrome take 600 to 1,000 IU of vitamin D daily. A vitamin D deficiency may also contribute to the chronic fatigue experienced by some people following a traumatic brain injury. Research presented at the April 2010 European Congress of Endocrinology observed levels of vitamin D in 90 fatigued and nonfatigued subjects with post-traumatic brain injury. Fifty-one percent of the subjects were severely fatigued 10 years after the trauma. A vitamin D deficiency -- significantly related to the fatigue -- was present in 65 percent of the post-traumatic brain injury subjects.

Multiple Sclerosis

Sufficient amounts of vitamin D may help prevent and treat multiple sclerosis, an autoimmune disease that produces symptoms including excessive tiredness. According to Mayo Clinic neurologist Jerry W. Swanson, maintaining adequate levels of vitamin D in the blood may lower your risk of developing multiple sclerosis and reduce the frequency and severity of its symptoms. In accordance, research in the January 2004 edition of the journal "Neurology" discovered that women with lower intakes of vitamin D had an increased risk of developing multiple sclerosis. Two 10-year observations of women, spanning from 1980 to 2001, found that women taking daily vitamin D supplements of 400 IU or more were 95 percent less likely to develop multiple sclerosis than those with no vitamin D supplementation. However, further scientific evidence is needed to conclusively prove the effectiveness of vitamin D in the treatment of multiple sclerosis.

Anemia

Lower levels of vitamin D may increase the risk of anemia, an insufficient amount of red blood cells, which also zaps your energy. Research from Johns Hopkins Children's Center, presented in May 2011, observed the relationship between blood levels of vitamin D and the risk of anemia in children. Blood samples from 9,400 children revealed that children with blood levels of vitamin D below 20 nanograms per milliliter had a 50 percent greater risk of developing anemia than children with levels of 20 nanograms per milliliter and over. Researchers noted that the findings clearly demonstrate a link between low levels of vitamin D and anemia, but do not prove that a vitamin D deficiency causes anemia.

References

Article reviewed by Jay Lawrence Last updated on: Jun 14, 2011

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