About 50 percent of people worldwide are at risk for a vitamin D deficiency, the Vitamin D Council reports. Vitamin D takes part in mood regulation, bone health, cellular reproduction and immunity. A vitamin D deficiency can exhibit itself through negative symptoms. If you think you may be vitamin D deficient, speak with your doctor and take steps to increase your intake.
Depression
A lack of vitamin D can cause depression and a change in your mood. When your vitamin D intake is insufficient, your levels of melatonin are higher than normal. Melatonin is responsible for keeping your circadian rhythm by decreasing your energy levels and preparing you for sleep. During the day, though, a higher melatonin level may cause depression. When you have enough vitamin D, your body is able to keep melatonin in check, making you feel happier and more energetic.
Bone Pain
When you don't have enough vitamin D, you can feel it in your bones. Vitamin D is essential to bone health because it assists your body in absorbing dietary calcium. If your vitamin D intake is inadequate, so may your calcium levels be. Low vitamin D levels can cause rickets in children and osteomalacia in adults. These two diseases result in improper bone mineralization, which can lead to deformities of the skeletal system.
Intake Recommendations
For optimal health, vitamin D intakes range according to your age, the National Osteoporosis Foundation notes. Adults under the age of 50 need to take in between 400 and 800 IU of vitamin D each day. For those 50 years old and over, intakes must increase to between 800 and 1,000 IU per day.
Sources
Most dietary sources cannot provide the amount of vitamin D your body needs. However, your body has an alternative mechanism for obtaining the correct amount of the vitamin. Exposure to the sun's rays prompts a mechanism inside your body that is able to turn sunlight into vitamin D. According to the Office of Dietary Supplements, just five to 30 minutes of sun exposure to the face or limbs between the hours of 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. can be enough to give you the vitamin D that you need. You can also get vitamin D from multivitamins and supplements, meat and fish, and fortified dairy products.
References
- Vitamin D Council: Vitamin D Deficiency: A Global Epidemic
- Office of Dietary Supplements: Vitamin D
- Women to Women; Preventing Vitamin D Deficiency; Marcelle Pick, OB/GYN NP; April 2011
- Better Medicine: Vitamin D Deficiency
- National Osteoporosis Foundation: Vitamin D and Bone Health
- Vitamin D Council: Depression
Member Comments