Vitamin D deficiency is one of the most common global conditions. It is a vital prohormone and fat-soluble vitamin. As a result, they are mainly stored in fat tissues.
Vitamin D is required for several processes, such as maintaining hormone function. This may also play a significant role in bone metabolism.
Further, this could affect the immune system[1] cells by affecting B cell differentiation and immunoglobulin secretion.
There are two common types of Vitamin Ds, Vitamin D2 is also known as ergocalciferol and is found in plant foods, and Vitamin D3 is known as cholecalciferol and is found in animal foods.
Vitamin D2 may help your body by enhancing the absorption of calcium and phosphorus. These minerals could improve bone development and make them strong.
Vitamin D3 may also act as an immunity booster. Improving the vitamin D deficiency could also help in reducing your cortisol levels. Not to miss, there are other ways to reduce cortisol as well. This may also improve your overall mood.
Consider consuming Vitamin D throughout your diet. Per the diet routine, there could be a deficiency of Vitamin D in infants, children, and adults.
Let’s discuss the symptoms of the deficiency, which may be caused by reduced consumption of Vitamin D, which could further affect your overall health and body function.
Vitamin D Deficiency Symptoms
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Loss Of Bone Density
Loss of bone density due to Vitamin D deficiency may trigger a health condition in bones called Osteoporosis[2]. It could cause weak bone development.
This could further become a reason for frequent bone fractures in the spine and hip joints. The reduced bone density in children may affect their overall development and cause rickets.
A rare disease that may make children’s bones soft and bend easily. Further, it may cause delayed growth with pain in the pelvis, legs, and spine.
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Bone Pain
Vitamin D deficiency may cause lower back pain and bone pain. As discussed earlier, Vitamin D could significantly affect mineral absorption[3].
Further, lower Vitamin D may affect certain minerals in your body, such as calcium and phosphorus. It could lead to severe bone pain.
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Muscle Weakness
Vitamin D deficiency in people in their old age groups is commonly found. It could further trigger several health issues[4] such as muscle weakness.
Muscle weakness could also be seen in Vitamin D deficient children. It could further cause muscle weakness and muscle pain.
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Muscle Cramps
As discussed earlier in this article, Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin. Its deficiency may affect mineral balance health.
As a result, your muscles develop muscle cramps. Such as, in infants, muscle cramps are the first sign of developing rickets.
Vitamin D deficiency in women could make them less efficient in regulating prostaglandins, which may play a significant role in triggering[5] uterus muscles for contraction. This inefficiency could make them experience painful periods.
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Periodic Infections
Vitamin D deficiency may affect your body’s health. It could also affect your body’s immune response to several infections, particularly in the respiratory[6] region.
Women of their reproductive age may attract[7] bacterial infections such as Bacterial Vaginosis (BV). It could further cause abnormal vaginal discharge.
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Fatigue
The deficiency of Vitamin D may cause fatigue. This may cause constant tiredness. It could also trigger[8] several other symptoms such as headache, weakness, etc.
Further, it may affect your cognitive performance. This could affect your everyday life and may cause difficulty learning new things.
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Joint Deformity
The deficiency of Vitamin D may be the main reason for joint deformity. It could make your leg joint hurt.
It may also enhance the problems related to rickets. This may further cause severe joint pain and inflammation.
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Incorrect Growth Pattern
Children are in the initial years of their development. Vitamin D deficiency may affect your overall growth. It may develop bent[9] bones.
Low Vitamin D levels may affect bone mineral density in children in their adolescent years. This could potentially influence the risk of idiopathic scoliosis[10].
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Depression
Vitamin D deficiency individuals are at a high risk of developing tendencies of depression.
Poor appetite and decreased sunlight exposure may be the reasons[11] for affected mental health. Further, it could trigger an imbalance[12] of neurotransmitters such as serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine.
Conclusion
At last, Vitamin D is an essential requirement for our bodies. Only sunlight exposure could be considered a biological production of Vitamin D in the body.
Otherwise, considering healthy and vitamin D-rich foods may help you maintain your Vitamin D levels.
As a result, these could further enhance your overall growth and body functions. It may also play a significant role in your development through the recovery process.
Sources/References
Working4Health prefers using primary and verified references. We have strict sourcing guidelines and our primary references include peer-reviewed research, academic, and medical institution studies.
- Cynthia Aranow, MD, Investigator. Vitamin D and the Immune System. J Investig Med. 2011 Aug; 59(6): 881–886. doi: 10.231/JIM.0b013e31821b8755.
- Paul Lips, Natasja M van Schoor. The effect of vitamin D on bone and osteoporosis. Best Pract Res Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2011 Aug;25(4):585-91. doi:10.1016/j.beem.2011.05.002.
- ANDREA N. JONES and KAREN E. HANSEN, MD. Recognizing the musculoskeletal manifestations of vitamin D deficiency. Published in final edited form as: J Musculoskelet Med. 2009 Oct; 26(10): 389–396.
- Geoff Venning, consultant in pharmaceutical medicine. Recent developments in vitamin D deficiency and muscle weakness among elderly people. BMJ. 2005 Mar 5; 330(7490): 524–526. doi: 10.1136/bmj.330.7490.524.
- Karolina Łagowska. The Relationship between Vitamin D Status and the Menstrual Cycle in Young Women: A Preliminary Study. Nutrients. 2018 Nov; 10(11): 1729. Published online 2018 Nov 11. doi: 10.3390/nu10111729.
- Cameron F. Gunville, Peter M. Mourani, and Adit A. Ginde. The Role of Vitamin D in Prevention and Treatment of Infection. Inflamm Allergy Drug Targets. 2013 Jul 11; 12(4): 239–245. doi: 10.2174/18715281113129990046.
- Mahshid Taheri, Azam Baheiraei, Abbas Rahimi Foroushani, et. al. Treatment of vitamin D deficiency is an effective method in the elimination of asymptomatic bacterial vaginosis: A placebo-controlled randomized clinical trial. Indian J Med Res. 2015 Jun; 141(6): 799–806. doi: 10.4103/0971-5916.160707.
- Kevin Johnson and Maryam Sattari. Vitamin D deficiency and fatigue: an unusual presentation. Springerplus. 2015; 4: 584. Published online 2015 Oct 7. doi: 10.1186/s40064-015-1376-x.
- Alexandru Herdea, Adham Charkaoui, and Alexandru Ulici. Prevalence of 25-OH-Vitamin D and Calcium Deficiency in Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis. J Med Life. 2020 Apr-Jun; 13(2): 260–264. doi: 10.25122/jml-2020-0101.
- Shu-Yan Ng, Josette Bettany-Saltikov, Irene Yuen Kwan Cheung, et. al. The Role of Vitamin D in the Pathogenesis of Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis. Asian Spine J. 2018 Dec; 12(6): 1127–1145. Published online 2018 Oct 16. doi: 10.31616/asj.2018.12.6.1127
- Vikas Menon, Sujita Kumar Kar, Navratan Suthar, et. al. Vitamin D and Depression: A Critical Appraisal of the Evidence and Future Directions. Indian J Psychol Med. 2020 Jan-Feb; 42(1): 11–21. Published online 2020 Jan 6. doi: 10.4103/IJPSYM.IJPSYM_160_19
- Ibrar Anjum, Syeda S Jaffery, Muniba Fayyaz, et. al. The Role of Vitamin D in Brain Health: A Mini Literature Review Monitoring Editor: Alexander Muacevic and John R Adler. Cureus. 2018 Jul; 10(7): e2960. Published online 2018 Jul 10. doi: 10.7759/cureus.2960.
- About the Author
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Otella has an experience of around eight years of writing about health and nutrition-related topics. She is a full-time mother and a housewife, and the time she has left after doing her mother and household duties is spent writing for Working for Health as a full-time writer. Her life goal is to raise both her boys into a gentleman, and at the same time, she wants to educate people on how to keep themselves fit by tweaking their daily diet.