12 Common Signs of a Vitamin D Deficiency
Vitamin D is a nutrient that your body makes after your skin is exposed to the sunshine.
The sun's ultraviolet B rays hit cholesterol in your skin cells which triggers the production
of Vitamin D in the body.
It’s then activated through your liver and kidneys and has some powerful anti-inflammatory
effects.
Vitamin D helps to protect you against viruses, absorb minerals into your bone and keeps your
blood pressure normal.
It also helps to keep you to stay feeling cheerful and happy, by supporting healthy
brain chemistry.
Unfortunately it's estimated that over 75% of the worldwide population are now deficient
in Vitamin D due to not getting enough sun, poor lifestyle habits and eating too many
junk foods which depletes it.
In today's video I'm going to highlight the top 12 signs that you may be deficient in
Vitamin D. I will also share with you some simple ways to boost your Vitamin D levels
by making healthier lifestyle choices.
Common Signs Of A Vitamin D Deficiency
1. Lower Back Ache One of the first signs of a Vitamin D deficiency
is pain in the lower part of your back, which can sometimes spread into the pelvis, hip
joints and upper thighs.
This pain is usually more noticeable during the night, and when standing from a seated
position.
Vitamin D is a powerful anti-inflammatory, which is supposed to prevent pain related
to the lumbar spine.
2. Bone Pain Vitamin D helps your bone to absorb minerals
like calcium, iron, zinc, magnesium and phosphate to keep them strong and healthy. If you don’t
have enough of this nutrient, it can lead to bone pain.
Press into your shin bone or your breast bone to see if it's tender or painful. If so, this
is a good sign you need more Vitamin D.
3. Bowed Legs If children grow up with a Vitamin D deficiency,
it can cause their bones to bend particularly in the legs.
This is called rickets and causes the legs to bow outward as seen in the image to the
left. The lack of Vitamin D prevented the bones from absorbing enough calcium and phosphorus.
4. Depression Vitamin D plays an essential role in brain
health, because it helps it to release neurotransmitters and hormones. People often suffer with low
mood and depression when they are deficient in Vitamin D.
If you feel depressed and down more during the winter, it's because you can't get enough
sunshine on your skin during this time of year.
5. Balance Issues Vitamin D is also responsible for keeping
your muscles strong and healthy. People who are deficient will sometimes have problems
with balance when they are walking. They may waddle back and forth, or rock as they are
walking. The lack of Vitamin D makes the muscles weaker and affects their gait.
6. Frequent Infections If you find yourself getting sick and catching
a cold more than once or twice a year, then it's likely you are low in Vitamin D. Vitamin
D is actually the key nutrient that supports your immune system in killing off viruses
and infections.
Getting more of this from a supplement can help protect the lungs and respiratory system
in particular from cold and flu.
7. Autoimmune Disease Autoimmune diseases are conditions where your
own immune system starts mistakenly attacking your body. Vitamin D is supposed to modulate
the immune system and keep it working properly. So if you suffer with a like rheumatoid arthritis,
lupus or multiple sclerosis then you may need more Vitamin D to bring your immune chemistry
into balance.
8. Chronic Fatigue If you feel tired often, it can be caused
by a range of different nutrient deficiencies, stress or poor eating habits.
With a Vitamin D deficiency however, you will feel that sleep isn't recharging you, and
may wake up with puffy bags under the eyes.
Vitamin D helps to paralyse your muscles during delta wave sleep, to restore you and make
you feel energetic the following day.
9. High Blood Pressure Although high blood pressure can be caused
by various issues, it can also be caused by a Vitamin D deficiency.
Vitamin D helps to relax your blood vessels so that your blood can flow freely, and reduce
the risk of heart disease.
10. Anxiety Although Vitamin D deficiency doesn’t cause
anxiety, people who have anxiety tend to have lower levels of Vitamin D. Stress and anxiety
raises a hormone called cortisol which can block your absorption of Vitamin D.
If you have anxiety, we highly recommend B Vitamins to help calm down your nervous system.
11. Gallbladder Removed If you have had your gallbladder removed,
your body will not be able to make enough concentrated bile, a fluid which helps you
absorb Vitamin D and other nutrients.
If this is the case, we highly recommend taking a digestive enzyme supplement daily, to help
you absorb fat soluble nutrients like Vitamin D.
12. Obesity (30+ BMI) If you are overweight with a BMI greater than
30, then you are likely to be deficient in Vitamin D. The more fat you have stored in
the your body, the less you are able to absorb Vitamin D from the sunshine, supplements or
foods that you eat.
If you have some of these signs, you can ask your doctor for a simple blood test called
25-hydroxy Vitamin D blood test.
How To Raise Vitamin D Levels
If you do have a deficiency in Vitamin D, you will want to know what steps you can take
to raise your Vitamin D levels naturally.
1. Take a daily supplement of 20,000iu Vitamin D3 daily. This equates to only 0.5mg of Vitamin
D, so don't be scared by the high number. Even at this dosage, it can take months to
raise your levels, which is why the standard 1,000iu dosage is not enough.
2. During brighter months and in the summer, take long walks in nature for 30-45 minutes
per day. Expose as much of your skin to the sun as possible, by wearing shorts and a t
shirt for example. UVB rays from the sun will trigger the synthesis of Vitamin D in your
skin, liver and kidneys.
3. Eat more fatty fish including wild salmon, tuna, mackerel, sardines and herring. These
contain small amounts of Vitamin D along with cod liver oil. We also recommend taking a
digestive enzyme supplement which contains ox bile. This will help your body to absorb
the Vitamin D from your supplements and oily fish.
4. Consume lots of magnesium rich foods including avocados, leafy green vegetables, sunflower
seeds, pumpkin seeds and Swiss chard. Magnesium is a mineral which helps to activate Vitamin
D in the body, and works alongside it for many different chemical reactions.
5. Finally, if you are obese and have a BMI that's over 30, you may need to lose weight
so that you can absorb enough Vitamin D. We recommend following a low carb diet such as
keto.
By following these 5 key steps, you can help to raise your Vitamin D levels, and the amount
of Vitamin D that can be synthesized in the body.
Soon you will notice improvements to your mental health, stronger muscles, bones and
less frequent infections.
Summary
A large percentage of the population is deficient in Vitamin D due to not getting enough sunshine
exposure, having darker skin, genetic mutations or following a poor diet.
Deficiencies can lead to problems in the body such as lower back pain, weak muscles, bowed
legs, depression and various autoimmune diseases.
By following the 5 action steps shared in today's video, you can begin to raise your
Vitamin D levels back to normal, and improve your overall health.
If you wish to learn more about bodily signs and symptoms, or natural remedies, please
see our other videos.
Thank you very much for listening, a like is always appreciated and remember to subscribe
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