5 reasons why you should avoid vitamin D deficiency at all costs

From doing Suryanamascar every morning to taking a walk in the morning, people all over the world do different things every day to spend time in the sun. But do you know why? It’s getting enough of the “sunlight” nutrients you may better recognize as vitamin D!

Why You Need “Sunshine” Nutrients

Vitamin D is a fat-soluble essential nutrient found mainly in sunlight and some foods. The moment the sunlight hits your skin, the body begins to synthesize vitamin D. This important nutrient not only helps the body absorb calcium, but it also affects metabolism, muscles, nerves, cardiovascular, and overall immune function. Vitamin D deficiency or deficiency can have serious effects on your health because it plays a huge role in the normal functioning of your body and mind.

This is a particularly big problem for Indians. This is because 80-90% of Indians of all age groups suffer from vitamin D deficiency, as shown by a study published in 2018 in the Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care. This is a huge prevalence and the burden of vitamin D deficiency is immeasurable for the country.

Effects of vitamin D deficiency

Keep in mind that vitamin D deficiency can affect more than just your physical health. Many studies have shown that people with vitamin D deficiency are at a much higher risk of developing depression, bipolar disorder, and other mental health problems. However, recent studies from the Journal of American Medical Association have shown that vitamin D supplementation does not reduce the risk or incidence of depression in people over the age of 50.

However, whether or not vitamin D supplementation helps reduce the risk of depression, vitamin D deficiency increases the risk of many other health problems and should be taken very seriously. Vitamin D deficiency can cause the following health problems:

1. Weak bones: Severe vitamin D deficiency in children can cause rickets, but in adults it causes osteoporosis and osteomalacia. These conditions are characterized by weak and soft bones, skeletal deformities, and weakness, and can be extremely debilitating.

2. Infectious diseases: Vitamin D deficiency compromises and weakens the immune system, making infections more likely to take root. People with this deficiency may be prey to viral upper respiratory tract infections (including COVID-19) and tuberculosis.

3. Autoimmune diseases: As a modulator of the immune system, vitamin D reduces the risk of autoimmune disease. Conversely, people with vitamin D deficiency are at a much higher risk of developing autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, lupus, and psoriasis.

4. Cancer: Vitamin D regulates cell growth and health. Decreased vitamin D levels are associated with various types of cancer, including lung, breast, colorectal, prostate, ovarian, pancreatic, and esophageal cancers.

5. Heart disease: Severe vitamin D deficiency is found in people with cardiovascular disease, especially those with myocardial infarction. The higher the level of vitamin D in the body, the lower the risk of developing heart disease.

Given the widespread effects of vitamin D deficiency, adequate intake of this important nutrient is very important. This can be done by getting plenty of sunlight and including fortified dairy products such as milk, cheese, yogurt, fatty fish, eggs and mushrooms in your daily diet.

For more information, read our article Vitamin D deficiency..

The News18 Health article was created by myUpchar.com, India’s first and largest resource for validated healthcare information. At myUpchar, researchers and journalists work with doctors to provide all health information.