Tag: vitamin D deficiency

Low Vitamin D Levels

Vitamin D Deficiency:

We are all aware these days that low Vitamin D levels will affect the growth of bone and teeth tissue, hair and nails. If you are young, then you need adequate Vitamin D and Calcium so that your bones will grow properly, and your teeth will be strong.  If you are old, then you need Vitamin D,  plus Calcium, so that your bones do  not become  fragile and brittle: Strong bones are less likely to fracture.

Deficiency of Vitamin D is now thought to be a factor in many conditions of ill health and disease.  Recent studies, as well as older studies, have related Vitamin D deficiency to specific maladies of the health.

In New Zealand, the recommended daily allowance of Vitamin D  is between 200-600IU, and the recommended amount of calcium between 1100 mg amd 2500 mg daily.  Many people fall short of even these minimum requirements.  Deficiency of Vitamin D and Calcium over a period of time can have serious consequences.

Low Vitamin D levels have been found in people with congestive heart failure.  This is not to be confused with an actual heart attack:  heart failure is when the heart is simply not doing a good enough job of pumping that blood through the body.  Symptoms that your heart may be underactive are slightly swollen legs and difficult breathing, or getting puffed easily when taking light exercise.

Vitamin D supplements, or cholecalciferol, taken with extra calcium, was found to help many people suffering from congestive heart failure.  Dr Shaun Holt and Iona MacDonald discuss these results in their book “Natural Remedies that Really Work’. This is published by Craig Cotton Publishing, Nelson, New Zealand, 2008 and 2010.

This author also relates low Vitamin D levels, with low calcium, to the occurence of type 2 diabetes.  He quotes the research which suggests that people with glucose intolerance are less likely to develop diabetes type 2 if their Vitamin D and Calcium levels are increased.

Dr Holt recommends more exposure to natural sunlight and increasing the intake of Vitamin D rich foods, which include  the oily fish such as mackerel, sardines, and salmon, and fish liver, egg yolk and meat.

In a study of children who had Type 1 diabetes mellitus, it was found that 76% had inadequate levels of Vitamin D. Adequate Vitamin D is important for growing children, not just because it helps to build strong bones and teeth hair and nails, but because it strengthens the immune system so that there is more resistance to diseases like type 1 diabetes mellitus.

Dr Holt suggests 400IU of Vitamin D be given to at risk children, unless their intake is adequate through diet and plenty of sunlight. Note:  Of course this must be done under the guidance of a health professional. Too much Vitamin D can cause toxicity in the body, which can damage the liver and other organs, so one must be careful with the dose.

Low Vitamin D levels have also been associated with osteoarthritis, rheumatic disorders, hyperesthesia, SAD, or Seasonal Affective Disorder, migraines and some sleeping disorders.

What Happens When Your Vitamin D Levels are Low

from Canon 266(1)Dramatic Photo By Lachlan

So – What happens when your vitamin D levels are low?

Vitamin D Deficiency can result in diarrhoea, insomnia, anxiety, nervousness and muscle twitches.

If Vitamin D levels are low over a long period of time, then you could risk becoming alcoholic, or drug-dependent, or suffer hypothyroidism or seasonal affective disorder (SAD).

Your Vitamin D can come from the sun’s rays, or from the food you eat. Supplements may be necessary in some cases.

Too Much Vitamin D Is Harmful. Be aware that too much Vitamin D can result in the same problems as those related to Vitamin D deficiency. You won’t get too much Vitamin D from the sun, as the body will only process what is needed from the sun.  But be cautious if you are taking supplements,  and follow the recommended dosage.  Vitamin D is stored in the body.  Too much can result in liver and kidney damage.

Vitamin D is necessary for healthy thyroid functioning. When the thyroid is iodine-deficient, or Vitamin D deficient, then mood swings can result.  So to keep balanced mentally and emotionally, we need a helping of Vitamin D.

Excessive weight gain and heart problems could result if  your Vitamin D levels are low.   The sun’s rays help us to break down cholesterol.  Avoiding the sun completely can result in a build up of cholesterol which can cause us to  put on weight.

You might avoid skin cancer if you avoid the sun:  People with low Vitamin D levels have a lower risk of skin cancer than do people who get plenty of sun. However, there is a catch-22 with this.

Low Vitamin D Is Related To Internal Cancers: Research shows that sun lovers with a higher Vitamin D get fewer internal cancers  than the people with the low Vitamin D count who avoid the sun. You are more likely to develop breast cancer, or another internal cancer, if your Vitamin D levels are 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 and Vitamin D Deficiency.  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 if  your Vitamin D levels remain low over a period of time. Vitamin D helps us 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.

Arthritis and Osteoporosis Can Occur With Low Vitamin D Levels: If  Vitamin D levels remain low over a long period of time, the body will start to leach the calcium it needs from the bones.  The outcome of this depletion is arthritis and osteoporosis, and chalky teeth too.

Vitamin D is also essential  for healthy hair growth.

Other Necessary Minerals: For healthy hair, bones, teeth and nails, heart and brain function, we need a balanced diet which includes the trace elements of

Iodine, Calcium, Magnesium, Zinc, Copper, Manganese  and Selenium.

Be careful of the sun in the North Island of New Zealand.  It has become dangerously hot here since around 2011, the time of the dreadful Japanes tsunami and nuclear disaster, and many of us cannot go out into the sun for more than a few minutes at a time now.

I believe that radioactive particles from the Japanes nuclear disaster are now all over the world, high up in the atmosphere. Wherever the ozone layer is sorely depleted, more of this radiation is brought down to earth with the sun’s rays, which poses a risk of a form of radiation sickness.  Sensitive people will be prone to it. This could be a good reason to move to cloudy Dunedin, I feel.  Spending even 15 minutes in the North Island summer sun these days can result in headaches, sun-stroke or radiation sickness for me. Symptoms can last for several days.  I am very sensitive to radiation, so I expect that my reaction will not be a general one, although quite a few of my friends are now complaining of the same symptoms after several minutes of summer sun exposure.

The ozone-layer, which is sorely depleted in parts of New Zealand, means that we burn very quickly. If you live in North Island NZ, then before 9 am or after 5 pm is the safest time to take a short sun-bath for the purpose of absorbing Vitamin D.

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 assimilated Vitamin D are fatty fish, fish oils, eggs, liver, and butter. Sardines, tuna, mackerel, and especially salmon, are all 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.