Patriot Health Digest
Although having good vitamin D is crucial for your body to operate as it should, it is also one of the most common nutrients people worry about out there. With 41% of Americans being insufficient in the vitamin and 93% or more failing to get just 400 IU of vitamin D each day, it is possible you might need more of the sunshine good stuff yourself.
And don’t believe that a vitamin D deficiency, since it is so common, is not really a huge deal. This deficiency can lead to quite a big list of serious problems. So, let’s look at what you need to know about it, including the signs to watch for.
Symptoms and signs of a vitamin D deficiency.
Because it has many roles inside your body (including gut health, immunity, thyroid health, and a lot more), you can bet that you will know when you are not getting enough vitamin D. These signs are among the most common:
1.
Bad bone health
Since vitamin D helps in absorbing calcium, vitamin D deficiency leads to lowered calcium absorption and the release of calcium from your bones, sabotaging your bones over time.
2.
Bad mood
A good volume of data has proven a link between lacking vitamin D levels and mental health. In fact, according to a 2020 study, numerous studies have showed an apparent link, noting that people with mood concerns have reported lower vitamin D levels.
3.
Less immunity
Vitamin D supports your immune system—and studies show that avoiding a Vitamin D deficiency is crucial when it comes to aiding your immune system and its resilience.
4.
Brain fog
Since vitamin D can help your daily brain function, feeling as you are in a fog could also be a sign of a deficiency.
Vitamin D levels and what to do next.
If you believe you are not getting enough vitamin D, your doctor could do a simple blood test to confirm your 25(OH)D. While any number under 30 ng/ml is seen as insufficient, anything under 20 ng/ml is seen as deficient.
Once you have your numbers, you have a some options for increasing your levels higher than baseline of 30 ng/ml (i.e., to a minimum of 50 ng/ml per our previous advice).
One option is to get more sun, the other option is get your Vitamin D from foods such as fish. Another popular option is start taking a Vitamin D supplement.
Author: Scott Dowdy
