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Sunday, May 15, 2022

Vitamin D Deficiency is Common: Start Stocking It

 Original Article



By Linda Loosli

 

Food and water are the most crucial things we should be stocking, but we should also be stocking Vitamin D as well. Did you know that about 43% of the U.S. population is vitamin D deficient? Vitamin D deficiency is common, and that deficiency will only get worse when SHTF, and we don’t have adequate sources of nutrition. 

Related: What to Take to People Who are Sick

In fact, getting enough vitamin D is already tough because it doesn’t come in a lot of the foods we eat. If you are vegan or lactose intolerant, you will have an even harder time keeping your vitamin D levels up. Vitamin D is crucial for your body. So, I am going to tell you why you should start stocking it today! Please remember I am not a doctor, nurse, or anyone in the medical field. It’s always a good thing to check with your medical advisor before adding any vitamins to your daily routine.

Just so you know, a lot of doctors do not request your Vitamin D levels as part of blood lab work, at least where I live here in Southern Utah. I had the same experience in Northern Utah. I have to “push” to have the test included when I go for my annual blood tests. Please remember, we are our own advocates, you must be vigilant when you have blood tests, research, and ask questions.

Vitamin D Deficiency is Common: Start Stocking It

What is Vitamin D?

Vitamin D simply is a steroid vitamin that promotes intestinal absorption as well as the metabolism of calcium and phosphorus. 

Vitamin D helps to support a healthy brain, heart, teeth, and lungs! Additionally, it keeps your immune system strong and helps regulate insulin levels. 

What is Vitamin D Deficiency?

With adequate exposure to sunlight, you will rarely develop a vitamin D deficiency. However, in the United States, most of us have a variety of seasons. If you live in an area where you have winter and little sunlight, you may be vitamin D deficient already. 

A vitamin D deficiency means that you are not getting enough vitamin D in your body. Without enough of it, you can have some pretty serious issues. 

Symptoms of Vitamin D Deficiency

My friend is having all kinds of issues from being vitamin D deficient. Here are some of the symptoms of a vitamin D deficiency:

#1 Getting Sick Often

Do you seem to catch everything? One of vitamin D’s most important roles in your body is keeping your immune system strong and healthy so you can fight off viruses and bacteria. If you are getting sick often, you may have a low vitamin D level. 

#2 Fatigue, Tiredness Exhaustion

Many times fatigue is often overlooked as a symptom or sign of vitamin D deficiency. But, the truth is, that if you don’t have what your body needs, it has to improvise which can take energy away from you. 

#3 Back and Bone Pain

Vitamin D improves your bodies’ ability to absorb calcium. Calcium is directly related to your bone health. If you don’t have enough vitamin D, you probably aren’t able to absorb your calcium and may be low on that as well. 

#4 Depression

If you are feeling depressed, I would strongly encourage you to get your vitamin D levels checked before taking an antidepressant. In fact, many antidepressants actually deplete your vitamin D levels (see study here). So if you already have vitamin D deficiency that’s causing the depression, the vitamin D deficiency could get worse by taking antidepressants. Try vitamin D first!

#5 Slow Wound Healing

Some wounds take a while to heal, but if you are noticing a simple scrape is taking incredibly long to heal, you may be vitamin D deficient. Vitamin D increases the production of compounds that are crucial for forming new skin and wound healing. 

#6 Hair Loss

My friend thought it was her shampoo, or part of the aging process. The reality was she lacked vitamin D. Excessive hair loss has been linked to a vitamin D deficiency in women. 

#7 Muscle Pain

Muscle pain as well as bone pain can be caused by a number of different factors. However, before taking a pain medication, get your vitamin D levels checked. The vitamin D receptor is present in our nerve cells. The nerve cells sense pain. 

If you have any of the following symptoms, I would recommend talking with your doctor about checking your vitamin D levels. Additionally, you can start taking a daily supplement.

Risks of Being Vitamin D Deficient

There are several risk factors associated with vitamin D deficiency. You could be vitamin D deficient if you have the following risk factors:

  • You have darker skin.
  • The Elderly have lower levels of vitamin D.
  • You are overweight or obese.
  • Nutrition is lacking in fish or dairy.
  • You live farther from the equator where there is little sun year-round.
  • Sunscreen is something you always use.
  • You stay indoors often.
  • You are taking certain medications that lower vitamin D levels such as antidepressants, steroids, laxatives, seizure drugs, cholesterol drugs, tuberculosis drugs, or a weight loss drug.

How Much Vitamin D Do I Need?

On the flip side, taking too much vitamin D is toxic! So, just because you may have symptoms doesn’t mean you should just take a ton of vitamin D. Vitamin D is fat soluble which means you can overdose on it. Use the table below to determine how much vitamin D is safe to take. If you are getting the recommended dose of D per day, but still feel off, see your doctor!

People by AgeRecommended IU per dayMaximum IU per day
Infants 0-6 months400 IUs1,000 IUs
Infants 6-12 months400 IUs1,500 IUs
Children 1-3600 IUs2,500 IUs
Children 4-8600 IUs3,000 IUs
People 9-70600 IUs4,000 IUs
People over 70800 IUs4,000 IUs
Females 14-50600 IUs4,000 IUs

How to Store Vitamin D

You will want to store your vitamin D where you store all your other over the counter medications. You will want to follow these guidelines:

  • Store vitamin D in a closed container.
  • Keep at room temperature.
  • Do not store vitamin D where it is exposed to heat or direct sunlight. 
  • Keep vitamin D away from moisture.
  • Do not freeze.
  • Do not store past expiration date. 

If you are unsure how much to store, I would recommend storing the minimum amount of 600 IUs per day and have enough for the months where you get the least amount of sun exposure. 

If a bottle comes with 60 servings of 600 IUs, you will want to get at least 3 or 4 bottles to last you through the sunless season. 

Other Vitamin Posts to Read

In addition to this post, you may want to learn about other vitamins as well. Here are some of the posts I recommend reading:

Final Thoughts

When buying vitamin D supplements, please make sure you are getting Vitamin D3 NOT vitamin D2. Vitamin D2 is cheaper to produce and is what is generally found in fortified foods. However, it is not as potent as the D3! Stock up on your vitamin D because you never know when you may need it, especially since you can only store milk for so long. May God Bless this world, Linda

Copyright Images: Vitamin D Products Deposit photos_113404702_s-2019

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