Express. Home of the Daily and Sunday Express.
VITAMIN D is one of many nutrients our bodies need to stay healthy. There are three warning signs that your body is lacking the vitamin. What are the signs?
Vitamin D works with calcium and phosphorus for healthy bones, muscles and teeth. The body makes vitamin D under the skin when a person is outside in the daylight, which is the reason why vitamin D is known as ‘the sunshine vitamin’. Vitamin D absorbs calcium and blocks the release of parathyroid hormone and also plays a role in muscle function and the helps the immune system. The body gives a person signs that it is lacking in vitamin D. What are the three warning signs?
Fatigue and tiredness
If a person constantly feels tired it may mean they are vitamin D deficient.
Studies have shown that very low blood levels cause fatigue and can impact a person’s life negatively. Experts recommend taking a vitamin D supplement to increase energy levels.
Infections
The role of vitamin D in reducing the risk of infections such as pneumonia, bacteremia, urinary tract infections and surgical site infections.
When adequate levels of vitamin D are maintained it lessens the length and severity of upper respiratory infections.
Vitamin D deficiency: The body gives signs to a person that they are lacking in the vitamin (Image: Getty Images)
Inflammatory bowel disease
When there is an inability to properly absorb nutrients in the GI tract, there is a higher risk for nutritional deficiencies.
In a 2016 study by US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health looked at vitamin D and inflammatory bowel disease and found that a lack of the vitamin increased the risk of the bowel disease and Crohn’s disease.
Foods with the best source of vitamin D include:
- Oily fish such as salmon, sardines, pilchards, trout, herring, kippers and eel.
- Cod liver oil
- Egg yolk, meat and milk
- Margarine, breakfast cereals and some yogurts
Vitamin D deficiency: If a person often feels sick it could be a symptom of being deficient (Image: Getty Images)
Vitamin D deficiency: Oily fish such as salmon and mackerel are excellent sources of vitamin D (Image: Getty Images)
Vitamin D deficiency is the most common and easiest indicator of your health you need to be familiar with
Nutritionist Doctor Steven Lin
Nutritionist Doctor Steven Lin said: “Vitamin D deficiency is the most common and easiest indicator of your health you need to be familiar with.
“Since it’s pretty difficult to take too much vitamin D, I would say it’s safe to assume you could probably use a little more vitamin D in your life.
“I can’t stress this enough: vitamin D is vital to both your dental health and overall health because vitamin D is such an integral party of the immune system and some of the first symptoms of low vitamin D levels are overall malaise and getting sick easily.”
Vitamin D is deficiency is very common and most people who are deficient are unaware. Fortunately, a vitamin D deficiency is usually easy to fix and a person can either increase their sun exposure or eat more vitamin D rich foods.