Symptoms of Vitamin D Deficiency in Adults

2024 Author: James Gerald | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 14:00

A lack of vitamin D can lead to serious health problems. The disease almost always sneaks up quietly and imperceptibly, without obvious symptoms, both in men and women. When a lack of vitamin D makes itself felt, you should immediately consult a doctor.

The importance of vitamin D

Vitamin D is one of the three vitamins that prevent aging in the body. This means not only preserving beauty, but also health, the ability to lead an active lifestyle without "sores" until old age.

In addition, vitamin D is one of the five vitamins involved in all important biochemical processes in the body.

The uniqueness of the vitamin is that it is one of the few that are produced by the body itself, and is also the only one that "works" in the body both as a vitamin and as a hormone (calcitriol).

Vitamin D comes from three sources:

• produced by the skin when exposed to sunlight;
• with food;
• when using drugs containing it.

Vitamin D means a whole complex of vitamins (D2, D3, D4, D5 and D6), with the predominant content of vitamin D3 - cholicalciferol.

With a lack of vitamin D in women, alarming symptoms such as sweating and fearfulness appear.

In general, a sufficient amount of the vitamin provides:

• better absorption of calcium;
• slowing down the aging process;
• high-level support for the transmission of nerve impulses to the brain with feedback;
• improving the functioning of the lungs and cardiovascular system;
• increasing efficiency and stress resistance;
• strengthening muscles and building muscle mass;
• increasing the level of metabolic processes;
• stimulates the activity of the immune system;
• regulation of mineral metabolism;
• sufficient accumulation of calcium, magnesium and phosphorus;
• blocking the development of hereditary diseases (affecting cell nuclei and enhancing the transcription of RNA and DNA).

As a result of the absorption of vitamin D by the body, the formed hormone calcitriol does an important job of stimulating greater absorption of calcium by the bone tissue. That stops the development of a disease such as osteoporosis in women aged 53 and above. Osteoporosis is common in women with vitamin D deficiency.

As a result of the effect on the body, a sufficient level of vitamin D prevents the development of many diseases, for example, such as:

• osteoporosis;
• Alzheimer's disease;
• various heart diseases;
• skin diseases;
• arthritis and arthrosis;
• multiple sclerosis;
• diabetes;
• psoriasis;
• hypertension;
• oncological diseases.

Symptoms of Vitamin D Deficiency in Women and Men

Lack of vitamin D manifests itself in adults, both general symptoms and gender-specific.

Who is at risk

Without waiting for the onset of symptoms that may be irreversible, it is important to observe preventive measures for those who are at risk:

• residents of the northern regions;
• those who are constantly indoors without walking in the daytime;
• pregnant women;
• lactating;
• older men and women.

Inappropriate nutrition can also aggravate the situation with the manifestation of symptoms of vitamin D3 deficiency, both in women and in men. Especially dangerous is the impoverishment of the diet with such products as:

• chicken eggs;
• liver;
• fatty fish;
• milk, cottage cheese, cheese (natural).

Common symptoms of vitamin D deficiency:

• constant pathological fatigue, which is felt even after rest;
• anxiety and insomnia;
• sweating of the back of the head;
• lack of appetite;
• sudden weight loss;
• caries;
• weakening of the heart muscle;
• change in posture, stoop;
• deterioration of vision.

Features of the symptoms of vitamin D deficiency in women:

• Bad mood;
• frequent nervous breakdowns and depression;
• headaches, loss of strength so much that it is difficult to force yourself to even get up;
• deterioration of the skin;
• the appearance of dullness and brittle hair, loss;
• dark circles under the eyes, swelling;
• desire to eat "bad mood" sweet and starchy foods;
• a decrease in such an important function as intestinal motility, which leads to frequent and dangerous to health, constipation;
• delamination of nails.

Lack of vitamin D3 manifests itself with certain symptoms not only in women, but also in men:

• deposition of toxins in the form of excess fat;
• night and even daytime leg cramps;
• decreased muscle tone;
• joint pain;
• increased blood sugar levels;
• decrease in the speed and quality of sperm.

Why is a lack of vitamin D in an adult's body dangerous?

The importance of vitamin D for the body, which we discussed above, corresponds to the destructive force for it, which is its deficiency.

The trouble creeps up completely imperceptibly, everything seems to be fine, at first, no one pays attention to a little discomfort. When the symptoms become pronounced, then it is practically impossible to restore health in full.

The threat to the quality of life, as well as a significant reduction in its duration, is becoming real. On the threshold there are already such diseases as:

• osteoporosis;
• heart failure;
• frequent colds and SARS;
• asthma;
• tuberculosis;
• breast cancer;
• infertility, both in women and in men, and often irreversible;
• diseases of the endocrine system with the imposition of their symptoms on a difficult health situation associated with a lack of vitamin D, both in adult women and in men.

How to treat vitamin deficiency

The mainstay of treatment, as well as prevention of vitamin D deficiency, is a daily 15 - 20 minute walk during the day. In addition, you should also adjust your diet.

Food and walking are given the main role in the fight against the impending terrible threat. Eating vitamin D-rich foods on a regular basis and walking as long as possible during the day can improve the situation soon.

However, such simple and very effective recommendations are effective only if the problem has not risen before you at its full height and the negative processes in the body have not yet become irreversible.

Products

The inclusion of foods containing vitamin D in your diet should be regular. It is important for the body to get the daily intake of vitamin D not from time to time, but daily. This is especially important in women and men aged 50 and over, and even more so when the symptoms of a lack of vitamin D are already present.

To save health will help dishes on your table with products such as:

• liver of both cattle and fish liver;
• fatty fish (herring, salmon, mackerel), caviar;
• other seafood;
• natural fatty dairy products;
• sunflower, olive, linseed oil and corn oils;
• mushrooms.

It is also helpful to include any form of yeast in your diet.

Vitamin complex and other preparations

Uncontrolled intake of not only vitamin D, but also multivitamins, without special indications and more often than once a year, is fraught with consequences no less destructive for the body than vitamin deficiency.

The irresponsible intake of vitamin D is especially dangerous, you should not trust only the symptoms and immediately start taking it. Such a therapeutic intake of vitamin D will cause irreparable damage to health. It can be justified only in the case of laboratory confirmation of vitamin deficiency, both in women and in men. You must visit your doctor. The specialist will carry out the necessary tests and, based on their results, will prescribe the correct course of treatment.

Self-administration of drugs is contraindicated!

Daily Value of Vitamin D

The established norms of vitamin D intake in international units of IU are conditional and deliberately underestimated. They were established taking into account the fact that an excess of this vitamin is also dangerous, if not more than its deficiency.

When compiling the table, the uncontrollable amount of vitamin that is produced by the body under the influence of ultraviolet radiation was also taken into account.

The table presents the recommended daily intake of vitamin D in IU:

• for newborns - 500 - 700;
• from 5 to 12 years old - 400 - 500;
• adolescents - 500 - 600;
• from 20 to 50 years - 300 - 400;
• pregnant and lactating women - 600 - 800;
• old age - 600 - 800.

Since these figures are rather arbitrary and are of a recommendatory nature, as a lower limit, the upper limit can be much higher.

Which suggests that you should not count the amount of vitamin D consumed. It is enough just to regularly consume the above products and take daily walks during the daytime.

Overdose is also bad - the consequences

If you are aware of the importance of maintaining adequate levels of vitamin D in the body, and make sure that it is supplied naturally, then you are not in danger of overdose.

An overdose can only be discussed in the case of taking medications with vitamin D. Its maximum allowable upper limit is 4000 IU per day. With a short-term intake of such a high amount of vitamin, nothing bad can happen to health.

What cannot be said, with long-term intake of high doses, even with signs of vitamin D deficiency, both in women over 50 years old, and in men.

It is noteworthy that the symptoms of an excess of vitamin D are not specific and may be signs of another health problem:

• nausea;
• loss of appetite;
• weight loss.

An excess of vitamin D can provoke:

• increased calcium in the blood;
• mental disorders;
• heart problems;
• disruption of the kidneys.

Interesting! Vitamins for beauty and health

What is important to know

A special blood test will help determine the level of vitamin D in your body. In winter, it is especially important to go outside on rare sunny days and eat more fatty foods.

Interesting facts on the topic include the following:

• not all people are equally producing vitamin D;
• production decreases with age;
• also less vitamin D is produced in darker skinned people.

It is also interesting that everyone's favorite herring is the real record holder for the content of vitamin D.

In conclusion, it should be emphasized once again that if you do not yet have symptoms of vitamin D deficiency, this does not mean that the problem has bypassed you. According to statistics, a huge number of people, up to 80%, lack it. Therefore, if you adjust your lifestyle in time, then most likely you will never know that there was a deficit, after all.