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Introduction
Unfortunately, the experts estimate that around a billion people in the world are deficient in vitamin D. Something that you probably don’t know is that vitamin D is not really a vitamin. It is actually a prohormone.
A prohormone is a substance that your body will transform into a hormone. All of the cells in your body have a receptor for this prohormone which is not the case with other vitamins. For ease of reference, we will refer to this prohormone as its most common name which is vitamin D.
Your body needs to break down a prohormone into a form that it can use. When this happens, vitamin D will circulate through your body and it performs several different functions. It is critical for healthy bones and helps to promote bone growth and the health of your muscles.
In this special report, we will explain why vitamin D is so essential for your body, what causes a vitamin D deficiency and the symptoms of this that you need to watch out for, and the things that you can do to ensure that you have the right levels of vitamin D.
So, let’s get right into it…
Why Vitamin D is essential for your Body
As we mentioned in the introduction, vitamin D is essential for good bone health. It helps in the development of strong bones and this becomes very important as you age. Vitamin D will also take calcium from your blood and will use it to create and repair muscle tissue and bone. You need vitamin D to help your parathyroid gland to properly regulate the levels of calcium in your blood as well.
Vitamin D Deficiencies
You may have heard of “rickets” before as it is the most common kind of vitamin D deficiency. Children can suffer from rickets if their bone tissue doesn’t mineralize correctly. This usually results in their bones being too soft and becoming deformed.
But rickets is not the only type of vitamin D deficiency. There have been several studies that revealed that there are several other health problems that can result from vitamin D deficiency. We will discuss these later on in this special report.
Vitamin D is also important for your immune system. Your immune cells all have a receptor for vitamin D and they are able to synthesize the active vitamin D hormone or metabolite. This means that there is definitely a connection between them.
A lack of vitamin D is also associated with autoimmune disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis and multiple sclerosis. When the right level of vitamin D is in your blood, your immune system will function properly and protect you from autoimmune disorders and possible infections.
Vitamin D is required for communication within your body
It is important that the calcium levels in your body are correct and vitamin D will communicate between your skeleton, your kidneys and your intestines to ensure that this is the case. Healthy and strong bones are the result of your body having the correct levels of calcium. If your vitamin D levels are low or there is not enough calcium for your bones, your parathyroid gland will borrow calcium from your skeleton which has the overall effect of making your bones weaker.
In the next section, we will discuss what causes vitamin D deficiency.
What Causes Vitamin D Deficiency?
There are actually several causes of vitamin D deficiency. The main problem is that vitamin D deficiency is not always easy to spot. You need to know what the symptoms are so that you can detect it. This probably explains why the experts think that more than a billion people across the globe have a deficiency in vitamin D.
We will discuss the symptoms of vitamin D deficiency in detail in the next section. Here we will look at some of the most common causes of vitamin D deficiency.
Your Diet can cause a Deficiency in Vitamin D
If you do not eat the types of food that enable the development of vitamin D then this can cause you to be deficient in the vitamin. The foods that help to develop vitamin D are animal-based and include:
• Beef liver
• Fish
• Egg yolk
• Fish oils
• Fortified milk products
Vegans are more prone to vitamin D deficiency as they do not consume any of these foods. There are supplements available that vegans can take to make up for the vitamin D that they are losing out on.
You have Very Dark Skin
If you have very dark skin then the pigment or melanin can prevent the formation of vitamin D when you are out in the sun. This can apply if you have a tan as well as if your skin is naturally dark.
The bottom line here is that the darker your skin is, the less chance it will have to form vitamin D with exposure to direct sunlight. Even if you spend a lot of time sunbathing this can still be a problem.
You have a Problem with your Digestive Tract
Some people have a problem with their digestive tract which means that they cannot absorb dietary fat or vitamin D. If you have a medical condition such as cystic fibrosis, celiac disease, or Crohn’s disease these can limit the ability of your intestines to absorb the vitamin D that you consume.
These medical conditions can restrict the absorption of dietary fats as well and because vitamin D is fat-soluble, this can result in the same problem occurring.
You are not getting enough Sunlight
Your skin can only make vitamin D when you are exposed to direct sunlight. If you do not venture outdoors very often, your chances of being deficient in vitamin D will rise significantly.
You may work a job that prevents you from getting much sunlight or you could be homebound. If you live in a northern latitude country you can be deprived of enough sunlight. Wearing head coverings and robes for religious purposes can also limit exposure to the sun.
Living in an area that has a lot of pollution or smog can also restrict your sunlight exposure. Where you live can really make a difference as can the season and the time of day that you venture out into the sun. In some parts of the US such as Cleveland, Ohio, there will be no UV-B light for 6 months of the year due to the sun’s position and the ozone layer.
Please be aware that the sun is strongest between 10am and 3pm.
You are Overweight / Obese
Being overweight or obese can leave you vitamin D deficient. If you have a body mass index of 30 or more then your fat cells may not be efficient enough to extract the required vitamin D from your blood and circulate it around your body.