Vitamin D deficiency is a problem which affects more people than you might think – since 2008, it has been officially recognized as a global pandemic. “The major cause of vitamin D deficiency is the lack of appreciation that sun exposure in moderation is the major source of vitamin D for most humans. Very few foods naturally contain vitamin D, and foods that are fortified with vitamin D are often inadequate to satisfy either a child’s or an adult’s vitamin D requirement.”(1)
Vitamin D deficiency can lead to major complications – rickets in children, for example, and the exacerbation of health problems like osteoporosis.
Influenza epidemics are also linked to widespread vitamin D deficiency, according to a 2006 article which drew the connection between lowered vitamin D levels in winter, and the prevalence of flu epidemics during that season(2).
So how do you know if you need to be getting more vitamin D? Here are some warning signs to look out for.
1. Chronic Pain
Chronic pain is one of the most commonly recognized symptoms of severe vitamin D deficiency. “Common manifestations of vitamin D deficiency are symmetric low back pain, proximal muscle weakness, muscle aches, and throbbing bone pain elicited with pressure over the sternum and tibia.”(3)
2. Muscle Weakness
“In 30% of patients (vitamin D deficiency) can present as proximal muscle weakness before the biochemical signs of vitamin D deficiency appear leading up to unnecessary investigative work up,” says one study(4).
3. Psoriasis
Vitamin D is often used in the treatment for psoriasis vulgaris, a painful skin condition. “… a review of the literature on oral vitamin D as a treatment for psoriasis reveals that this treatment is efficacious,” say the authors of one 2013 study(5).
4. Fatigue
Vitamin D is vital in the production of energy in the body – a deficiency can lead to chronic fatigue.
5. Excessive Sweating
One of the early signs of rickets, a disease connected strongly to vitamin D deficiency, is excessive sweating. Looking out for this symptom could make early diagnosis of rickets, especially in children, easier(6).
6. Chronic Respiratory Problems
Patients with chronic respiratory problems such as asthma, cystic fibrosis, chronic obstructive lung disease, and