What is Vitamin D Deficiency + Infographic

Vitamin D deficiency is a growing nutritional deficiency that is a widely undiagnosed problem for a growing number of children and adults. According to Holick, director of the General Clinical Research Center at Boston University School of Medicine and director of the Bone Healthcare Clinic at Boston Medical Center, it is estimated that one billion people in the world are vitamin D deficient or insufficient.  When left untreated, this nutritional deficiency can lead to Rickets in children and osteomalacia in adults, it can cause your bones to soften and weaken.

Vitamin D helps the bones absorb calcium and phosphate and allows for proper bone mineralization. The best way to absorb this vitamin is through your skin. Your skin absorbs ultraviolet rays from the sun and the skin synthesizes it. Your skin contains a cholesterol substance called provitamin D3.  Provitamin D3 reacts with ultraviolet B rays to form Vitamin D3. Then the body sends it to the liver and kidneys. The liver converts it to calcidiol and the kidney converts it to calcitriol. Your body then uses what it needs to function immediately and the rest is stored in fatty tissue and in the liver.

8 Signs You Need to Be Getting More Vitamin D

Are you Vitamin D deficient? If you think that you are deficient, schedule an appointment with your healthcare provider as soon as possible.  A simple blood test can easily determine if your Vitamin D levels are low. It only takes 24 to 48 hours to have your test results. Be sure and discuss the test results with your primary care physician or endocrinologist.

Most adults and children don’t spend enough time outside due to our current lifestyle choices. Families are spending more time indoors. When families do go outside, we have been told that we should never go outside without sunscreen. Sunscreen blocks your skin’s ability to absorb the UV rays needed to produce Vitamin D3.

Doctors are also aware that people who have darker skin have a harder time absorbing the UV rays due to the amount of melanin. Melanin naturally helps protect the skin from UV rays.

Photo Credit: Visually

How to Increase your Vitamin D Levels

Get Outside in the Sunshine: Getting outside is the best way to increase your Vitamin D storage levels. When you go outside, skip the sunscreen and wear clothing that allows as much skin to show as possible. You can safely stay outside to get a daily dose of the midday sunshine without sunscreen for up to 20 minutes.

Eat Foods that Contain Vitamin D: Eat plenty of the foods listed in the infographic to help increase your Vitamin D levels. Even if you are eating several servings of foods rich in Vit D, just keep in mind that food alone can’t sustain your levels. You will still need to go outside.

Supplements: Start taking Vitamin D supplements and take them as directed on the package if your doctor recommends supplements.

Prescription: If your doctor has discovered that you are severely low or don’t have adequate reserves, you will likely be prescribed a large dose of prescription strength Vitamin D to take on a weekly basis. Depending on the severity of your Vitamin D levels, you may be required to take it more than once a week. The doctor will usually monitor your Vitamin D levels frequently. If you don’t continuously have to take a prescription strength dose of Vitamin D, you should have your levels checked every 3 to 6 months.

Vitamin D deficiency is a treatable nutritional deficiency that can be prevented. Low Vit D can cause a wide variety of health problems including a few of the signs listed in the infographic. See your healthcare provider if you have signs and symptoms of Vitamin D deficiency.

Did you know that Vitamin D deficiency caused health problems? Do you currently get enough Vit D?