So – What happens when your vitamin D levels are low?
The most common things you might experience with low Vitamin D levels are diarrhea, insomnia, anxiety, nervousness and muscle twitches, but research shows that more serious conditions can result if your Vitamin D levels are low over a long period of time:
These conditions are hypothyroidism, seasonal affective disorder (SAD), addictions to alcohol and other substances, and convulsions in very serious cases.
Vitamin D is related to mental health because of its role in thyroid production, hence its association with conditions such as depression.
Excessive weight gain and heart problems could result if the reason your Vitamin D levels are low is because you are taking too little of the sun’s rays into your body. Vitamin D via the rays of the sun provides the necessary constituents to break down your cholesterol. If you lead a life-style which prohibits you from seeing the sun’s rays on a daily basis, then chances are you are not getting enough Vitamin D to maintain healthy cholesterol levels which could lead to your cholesterol levels remaining too high, and your putting on weight.
Research has shown that people who avoid the sun and who have low Vitamin D levels have a lesser chance of developing skin cancer than do people who get plenty of sun and whose Vitamin D levels are consequently high. However, it has also been shown that the sun lovers with a higher Vitamin D count are less likely to develop internal cancers than the people with the low Vitamin D count who avoid the sun.
In other words, if you avoid the sun in order to avoid getting skin cancer, then you increase the risk of getting an internal cancer of some sort: breast cancer was one cancer which favoured these conditions.
Lacking enough sunshine to the skin, poor nutrition, or ingesting substances which cause a depletion of Vitamin D and other vitamins and minerals can all contribute to your Vitamin D levels being low.
Can coffee deplete Vitamin D levels?
This is a commonly asked question. The answer is YES. Too much coffee, alcohol, cigarettes, and many medications can lead to Vitamin D being leached from the body.
Bones and teeth are affected by low levels of Vitamin D. On-going deficiency of Vitamin D and other nutrients can cause rickets in children, and osteoporosis in adults. Weak, chalky and sensitive teeth might be what happens when your Vitamin D levels are low over a period of time. This is because Vitamin D is needed for the body to assimilate calcium: even if your dietary intake of calcium is adequate, the calcium will not be absorbed in the body if your Vitamin D levels are low. The body will absorb the calcium it needs from the bones,causing osteoporosis, which is what happens when your Vitamin D levels are low over a long period of time.
Vitamin D is also essential for healthy hair growth.
The other constituents which are needed for healthy bones, teeth, nails, hair, and heart and brain function should also be considered when you are examining Vitamin D. These are: Iodine, Calcium, Magnesium, Zinc, Copper, Manganese and Selenium.
There are two ways which you take Vitamin D into the body. One is through the food you eat, the other is through exposure to sunlight.
It is generally thought that if you expose the body to the sun, or simply arms, face and legs, for fifteen to thirty minutes on a daily basis, or three times a week minimum, then you will absorb enough Vitamin D into your body to maintain good health. In New Zealand and Australia, we need to do this either before 10 AM or after 4PM to avoid getting burnt in the summer time.
In hot parts of Australia this advice might be best applied even in the winter if you wish to lower the risk of skin cancer.
Do not wear sun-block when you are taking Vitamin D into the body for health purposes. Sun-block will block the Vitamin D from being absorbed into the skin. Remember that if your skin is slightly oily, then you will absorb more of the vital sun energy – Vitamin D. So it is best to take your sun-bath several hours after showering, to give your skin a chance to restore some of the natural oils to the surface.
Applying a little olive oil, or avocado or grape seed oil, can be useful in restoring oily moisture to the skin before you take a sun-bath. Also remember not to wash directly after the sun-bath: the oil on the skin is still processing the Vitamin D from the sun for several hours after the sun-bath. Leaving your shower or swim for a bit will help the skin to absorb the valuable vitamins being processed.
The foods which contain high amounts of easily assimilable Vitamin D are fatty fish, eggs, liver, including fish liver and butter. Tuna, mackerel,and especially salmon, are good sources.
Vitamin D is stored in fatty tissues, which means that it is stored in the body. Care is needed, therefore, not to overdose on Vitamin D through supplement additions to the diet.
The recommended dose varies depending on whether you get enough sun, how good your diet is, and what conditions you are treating, but a safe dose seems to be about 400IU daily for most people.
Some sources give between 400IU and 800IU per day, but it is better to be on the safe side. A large dose of Vitamin D over a period of about six months or less will cause many of the symptoms which you experience when your Vitamin D levels are low. Do not over-do Vitamin D.
