The Dangers of Vitamin D Deficiency
January 9, 2008 by Sandy Robinson
Filed under Vitamin D Deficiency
I wrote an article online about the dangers of Vitamin D deficiency and thought it would be fitting for this site. Never try to diagnose yourself. Always see a physician with any questions on Vitamin D Deficiency or any other health issues.
I never realized until I was diagnosed with a serious Vitamin D deficiency what all problems this could cause. My doctor was very concerned because my levels were dangerously low and he immediately put me on a high dose Vitamin D supplement. Some other health problems my doctor told me Vitamin D deficiency could cause include heart disease, chronic pain, Fibromyalgia, hypertension, arthritis, depression, inflammatory bowel disease, obesity, PMS, Crohns Disease, cancer, MS and other autoimmune diseases.
The Vitamin D Council states that Vitamin D deficiency can also cause stroke, osteoporosis, muscle weakness, muscle wasting and birth defects.
The American Society of Anesthesiologists released a report in October of 2007 that stated approximately one in four patients who have chronic pain issues were also found to have low levels of Vitamin D. This was according to a new study that the American Society of Anesthesiologists conducted. Their study also found that those with lower levels of Vitamin D required higher doses of morphine over a longer period of time.
According to the Vitamin D Council, if you are someone who completely avoids the sun you will need to take approximately 4,000 units of Vitamin D per day. You would have to drink 40 glasses of milk a day or take 10 multivitamins a day to get the required amount of Vitamin D. Naturally neither one of these methods is recommended so what are we to do? Many people now fear the sun due to the increasing awareness and prevalence of the deadly skin cancer, Melanoma. The Vitamin D Council says that most people typically make about 20,000 units of Vitamin D after 20 minutes of sun exposure, which is about 100 times more than the daily amount of Vitamin D the FDA says we need. Tanning beds are another option to get the required amounts of Vitamin D also. Personally I will not use a tanning bed or spend excessive amounts of time out in the sun due to fear of skin cancer.
There is another option if you are not a sun worshiper. You can have your physician administer a 25-hydroxyvitamin test to determine if you have optimal levels of Vitamin D in your blood. The Vitamin D Council considers optimum levels to be approximately 50 nM/L. The 25-hydroxyvitamin test measures the amount of calcidiol (a prehormone found in the blood that is produced in the liver). This is considered the most reliable form of testing for Vitamin D deficiency. If this test shows that you are indeed Vitamin D deficient, there is also a supplemental vitamin D3 cholecalciferol you can take.
In order to get the proper amount of Vitamin D your body requires, you need to be able to find a healthy balance of sunlight, but still reduce your risk of skin cancer, particularly Melanoma. Wear sunscreen every time you are in the sun and keep your sun exposure to 20 minutes at a time.
Sources used for this article include:
ImmuneSupport.com – Vitamin D Inadequacy May Exacerbate Chronic Pain
Vitamin D Council – Vitamin D Research and Research Requirements Link
Other Fighting Fatigue articles on Vitamin D Deficiency:
Low Vitamin D Associated With Increased Risk of Death
Vitamin D Deficiency:� A Disease of Neglect
Low Vitamin D May Be Harmful to Bones of Those with IBD
Vitamin D & Vitamin D Deficiency Links
Vitamin D Deficiency Tied to Back Pain In Older Women
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I live in the midwest, so you know sun is scarce in the late fall and winter. I made an effort all summer and early fall to make sure I got outside and in concentrated sun, but now I can’t. Does anyone know how long it takes to deplete your vitamin D once you hit this time of year? Also, I’ve read conflicting information on whether you can get Vitamin D from a tanning bed. They’re not my choice of action, but will do it if I need to. For those wondering, I do take a supplement, but I also feel that for me natural sun works a whole lot better.
Hi,
I have had ME/CFS almost ten years now. My doctor has just told me I’m slightly Vit D deficient but not enough to worry about if I were well. He has told me to take a multivitamin supplement just in case it helps me through the seasonal flares I am expecting, now the winter is coming here in the UK.
I don’t think it’s my cure – but for me it makes a change to have a doctor who is believing me, and caring enough to call and suggest something he thinks might help.
A revelation!
ZARLA: I wonder what your vitamin d level actually was? most doctors don’t seem to keep up with the latest research which says your level should be closer to 80. a lot of them think if you get it up near 30 that’s enough. low vitamin d wreaks havoc on our immune systems and everything else. Besides your multiple vitamin you should probably be taking several thousand IU’s of vitamin d3 per day separately. it’s safe. just don’t take cod liver oil or something that has vitamin a in it too. you could probably use a little extra a but if you took enough of the cod liver oil to get enough vitamin d you would overdose on the vitamin a.
i hope you get through the winter ok.
I was just diagnosed with a vitamin D deficiency on Monday. My level was 14.5, pretty low. I walk an hour outside everyday but use sunscreen and I also take a caltrate with D and a one a day with 400IUs of D. Now he has me on 50000iu once a week for 8 weeks. He said if I can go south in the dead of winter, that would be the best thing…yah. Hubby would love to, maybe visit Mickey Mouse. My doc said we can build up a reserve but it won’t take you thru the whole winter so keep taking supplements. The best ones to take are D3 and take about 2000IU a day for optimum protection without overdosing. This has been a hassle getting diagnosed but I think it answers lots of questions of how I’ve been feeling the past year. Hope the supplements work.