Vitamin D, a fat-soluble vitamin stored in the body, promotes calcium absorption and helps keep bones strong. Vitamin D is present in few foods but is often added to products, such as milk, eggs and cereal. Most of the vitamin D people get is from sun exposure or supplements. Vitamin D deficiency in the United States is a serious problem, affecting about 75 percent of teens and adults, according to Scientific American, and it can be responsible for causing chronic fatigue.
Fatigue and Vitamin D
Only recently have experts begun looking at the link between chronic fatigue and vitamin D. In 2010 the "Scandinavian Journal of Primary Healthcare" investigated vitamin D levels in patients with muscle pain, headaches and tiredness. In 58 percent of the 572 male and female patients, one-third was found to be deficient in the vitamin.
Symptoms of Deficiency
At one time it was thought that vitamin D deficiency mainly lead to rickets in children and softening of the bones, bone pain and muscle weakness in adults. Experts now realize the condition causes far more problems, including fatigue, depression, sleep disturbances and mood swings. It's also related to heart disease, stroke and weight loss, according to Dr. Marcelle Pick, an OB/GYN and co-founder of the Women to Women Clinic in Yarmouth, Maine.
Reversing Deficiency
The only way to know for sure if you are vitamin D deficient is by getting tested by your physician. Once you're diagnosed, it could take about three to six months to reverse vitamin D deficiency. The recommended daily allowance, or RDA, for children and adults is 600 international units, or IU. Adults over the age of 69 need 800 IU. The best way to replenish vitamin D stores is by getting 15 to 20 minutes of direct sunlight each day. It's important to resist using sunscreen since it can actually prevent you from absorbing the vitamin properly. If you can't get 15 minutes of direct sunshine a day, you can still get the RDA of vitamin D through fortified foods, liver, sardines or salmon. Even if you think you are getting enough, you may only be getting a fraction of what you really need. The Scientific Committee on Food, a European-based organization, wants to up the RDA of vitamin D for healthy adults to 2,000 IU.
Undiagnosed
Many doctors today receive little, if any, training on diagnosing or identifying a vitamin deficiency, according to Dr. Pick. Since fatigue also is a universal symptom for any number of physical or mental problems, from arthritis to chronic pain, depression or even a busy lifestyle, it makes diagnoses even more difficult. If you're obese, have diabetes, heart disease or cancer, you may be at higher risk for vitamin deficiency.
References
- Scientific American: Vitamin D Deficiency Soars in the U.S.; Jordan Lite; 2009
- Office of Dietary Supplements: Vitamin D
- ABC News: Does Sunblock Prevent You From Getting Vitamin D?; February 2009
- "Scandinavian Journal of Primary Health Care": Vitamin D Status in Patients with Musculoskeletal Pain, Fatigue and Headache; K.V. Knutsen; 2010
- Women to Women: Is Vitamin D Deficiency Casting a Cloud over Your Health? Marcelle Pick
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