News

10 Signs of a Vitamin D deficiency Posted on 18 Aug 11:28 , 0 comments

Did you know that unlike other countries with similar climates New Zealand has no mandatory fortification of foods with Vitamin D? That’s sad, because we know that over winter our blood levels of Vitamin D practically halve. We synthesize Vitamin D from the sun, however sunblock reduces absorption and it has to be direct sunlight, as UVB does not pass through glass.

  1. Muscle and bone weakness - The vitamin is essential for bones and muscles and teeth. If your muscles, teeth or bones feel weak you could be deficient in vitamin D.
  2. Feeling down - People with low levels of vitamin D are more likely to be depressed or struggle with deep feelings of sadness.
  3. Pain sensitivity- people who have chronic pain can have inadequate vitamin D levels.
  4. Sore gums - people who have low vitamin D levels are more vulnerable to swelling, reddening and bleeding of gums.
  5. Blood pressure - Vitamin D is important for the heart, and when you don’t get enough of it, the blood pressure could rise.
  6. Fatigue - People who have low vitamin D levels, lack the energy to go throughout the day and could have a constant feeling of fatigue.
  7. Mood swings or feeling down - Vitamin D helps with serotonin production and this hormone has a major impact on the mood.
  8. Decreased endurance -Athletes that have a low vitamin D level perform less and have lower energy levels compared to other athletes with higher vitamin D levels.
  9. Overweight -This fat-soluble vitamin is stored in fat cells, and people who are overweight need more vitamin D.
  10. Darker skin -If you have dark skin you have a greater risk of vitamin D deficiency, darker skin needs about 10 times more sun exposure to produce the same amount of vitamin D as a person with pale skin.