Do You Lack Vitamin D? These Are The Symptoms And The Solutions

The vitamin D is key to health and wellness. It modulates immunity, which helps prevent allergies, autoimmune disorders and, according to many researchers, degenerative diseases. Protects against infections caused by viruses and bacteria. In winter it reduces the risk of contracting the flu and other respiratory viruses.

Insomnia, anxiety, depression and the intensity of nonspecific neuropathic and musculoskeletal pain, as well as fibromyalgia, have been related to its deficiency.

Curiously, it also favors daytime sleepiness, according to research conducted by David E. McCarty, from Louisiana State University (United States). It is also related to sleep disorders due to obstructive apnea.

It prevents certain types of cancer, such as breast and colorectal cancer. Researchers at the University of California, San Diego have even claimed that vitamin D deficiency could be a “root cause” of all types of cancer.

Symptoms of vitamin D deficiency

Vitamin D deficiency can cause a variety of symptoms. Raimund von Helden, a physician with experience in vitamin D supplementation, classifies them by the acronym HANDS :

• M for Muscle: Pain, weakness, cramps, tremors and tingling.
• A for Adinamia: Weakness, apathy, lack of energy, permanent tiredness and constant fatigue.
• N de Nervios: Dizziness, sleep and concentration disorders, restlessness, anxiety, behavioral changes, impaired coordination, and unsteadiness in standing and walking. The deficiency favors both insomnia and drowsiness.
• O Orthostasis: circulatory disorders, headache, feeling cold or frostbite in hands and feet.
• S for S keletal (skeleton): Pain in bones and joints that increases with exercise, reduced bone mass and painful bones on contact.

In addition, hallucinations, tinnitus, heartburn, morning sickness and allergy to the sun can occur.

Low vitamin D level? These are the solutions

To evaluate the status of vitamin D, the concentration of the metabolite 25-hydroxy-vitamin D (calcidiol) in blood serum is determined. The desirable level is between 40-60 or 40-70 ng / mL, according to different researchers and organizations such as the Vitamin D Council, Vitamin D Society, and GrassrootsHealth.

To reach these concentrations, you would need adequate daily sun exposure, eating enough foods rich in vitamin D, or taking a vitamin supplement.

It is estimated that 15-20 minutes of sun exposure can generate (depending on the season, latitude, skin type and exposed surface) from 10,000 to 20,000 IU of vitamin D.

The indoor lifestyle has drastically reduced vitamin D levels. The solution in most cases is to supplement with vitamin D ₃ (cholecalciferol). However, in Spain calcidiol is frequently used, with which it is difficult to adjust the dose.

Recommended dosage for a vitamin D supplement

To reach the optimal level of 40-60 ng / mL, according to the recommendations of the Vitamin D Council, a daily intake of 70-80 IU / kg of body weight is needed . A 70 kg adult would require a dose of 5,200 IU / day.

Many doctors still recommend supplementary doses on the order of 400-800 IU / day, but they are insufficient. An exaggerated fear of toxicity persists among professionals. In fact, poisoning is rare and occurs by accident when consuming very high doses, as the renowned expert Michael Hollick says in the Mayo Clinic Proceedings magazine .

A dose of 10,000 IU per day does not represent any risk in adults and does not require special monitoring (as long as there are no specific situations, such as sarcoidosis, that may require clinical supervision).

After 2-3 months it is advisable to carry out an analysis and readjust the dose if necessary. Once the desired level has been reached, the same dose should be continued and analyzes carried out every one or two years.

The action of vitamin D can be optimized by administering cofactors: vitamin A (5,000-10,000 IU), vitamin K2 / MK-7 (150-200 mcg), magnesium (400-600 mg), boron (3-6 mg) and zinc (15-20 mg).