Vitamin Deficiency Symptoms

Low levels of vitamin D in our body cause what is called “Vitamin D Deficiency”, according to the severity of the deficiency and the signs, some diseases can start, and since this vitamin mostly has to do with the strength and density of our bones our muscles, they are the ones who will be most affected. In this article we take a look at the diseases that are caused by deficiency of this vitamin.

Rickets. This disease occurs when there as deficiency of vitamin D in children. This problem was big during some years on the US but now it has become uncommon, yet it is highly present in other developing countries. Basically it means bone softening. Infants whose mother doesn’t get enough sun exposure or those who don’t get sun exposure themselves are at more risk of developing and it can be worse if there is bad nutrition present.

Osteomalacia. Osteomalacia is the same as rickets, but it is called that way when the patient is adult. This is a disease that occurs when there is an inadequate mineralization in the bone matrix. Vitamin D is essential to absorb the calcium in the intestine.

How to avoid these vitamin D deficiency diseases?

The best way to avoid these problems is by proper prevention and by giving our body enough vitamin D. This vitamin can be found in:

Food. There is special food such as vitamin D fortified milk, and few foods that can give you an increase in levels such as fish oil and fatty fish.

Sunlight. This is the primary way to get vitamin D. The UV rays coming from the sun start the vitamin D synthesis in our skin. Solar protection higher than 8 SPF will block UV rays and thus, block the synthesis, but still it is necessary to use it if we are staying under the sun for more than 15 minutes.