Are You Vitamin D Deficient?

Vitamin D is one of the many critical vitamins no one should be skimping on. Without enough of it in your diet, you could experience a vague to prominent set of symptoms that include tiredness and general aches and pains. You may also have frequent infections.

For some people though, the symptoms of vitamin D deficiency are so minimal they hardly notice them, but inside the body’s biochemical reactions need it to function properly with other vitamins.

You may not be getting enough Vitamin D if:

• You don’t get enough sunlight. Your body is usually able to get all the vitamin D it needs if you regularly expose enough bare skin to the sun. Most of us don’t get enough sunlight because we spend a lot of time inside, work nights or use sunscreen.
• You don’t take supplements. It’s very difficult to get enough vitamin D from the foods you eat alone.
• Your body needs more vitamin D than usual, for example if you’re obese or pregnant.
• You have dark skin. The darker your skin the more sun you need to get the same amount of vitamin D as a fair-skinned person.
• You live in the Northern parts of the United States and Canada. This is because there are fewer hours of overhead sunlight the further away you are from the equator.
• You are over 50. Older people have thinner skin than younger people and this may mean that they can’t produce as much vitamin D.

A mountain of research in the last decade has shown Vitamin D to be antiviral, protective against 22 forms of cancer, including breast, colon and lung, useful for multiple sclerosis, cardiovascular disease, depression, periodontal disease, pelvic floor disorder, migraines and more.

Even though there is no risk of toxicity at 2,000 IU a day, it is still best to have your levels checked by your doctor to know if you are deficient or not.