What is Vitamin D deficiency?
Vitamin D deficiency is a public health crisis, with over one billion people worldwide falling short of their daily requirements. Maintaining adequate levels of vitamin D can be challenging for any busy adult. But since the main source of vitamin D is animal products, it’s especially tricky if you follow a vegetarian or vegan diet.
Many people with vitamin D deficiency don’t have symptoms, but chronic vitamin D deficiency can deplete your energy levels, weaken your immune system and increase the risk of osteoporosis and bone fractures, especially in the elderly population.
Common vitamin D deficiency symptoms:
- Fatigue
- Joint pain
- Hair loss
- Rickets
- Bone deformities
- Dental abnormalities
- Mood swings
- Bone weakness
- Osteoporosis
- Weak immune system
- Depression
What causes a vitamin D deficiency?
- Inadequate exposure to sunlight
- A diet lacking in vitamin D-rich foods
- Following a vegan or vegetarian diet
- Inflammatory bowel disease
- Gastric bypass surgery
- Not being able to metabolize vitamin D
Further reading: National Institutes of Health