Vitamin D Deficiency: Symptoms?

4 October 2021 health spots

Fatigue, cramps, dizziness … A vitamin D deficiency affects the ability of the immune system to protect us from infections. What are its symptoms? What causes and treatments?

Vitamin D plays an important role in the body. Not having enough can put the body at risk for more infections.

The risk of deficiency “is greater in autumn-winter since there is less sun” recalls Dr. Nina Cohen-Koubi, nutritionist and psychosomatician.

What is vitamin D deficiency?

A vitamin D deficiency results in “a vitamin D concentration between 16 and 30 nanograms per milliliter of blood” and a deficiency ” by a concentration below 16 nanograms per milliliter of blood ” explains Dr. Cohen-Koubi. According to her, the deficiency must be noted by blood test “to see its extent and if it exists so that a doctor can suggest a prescription based on the results. If the person is around 28 or 29 ng / ml, then they are not deficient and do not need to be supplemented with vitamin D. “

There are two possibilities to obtain your daily intake of vitamin D:

  • the sun.Vitamin D is made by UV rays on the skin. “It then passes to the level of the liver and kidneys where it is activated” specifies our interlocutor.
  • food intake from foods such as fatty fish (salmon, herring, sardines …), dairy products and cod liver oil.

What are the symptoms?

A lack of vitamin D can be detected through characteristic symptoms and signs:

  • Muscle weakness.
  • “The patient may also experience pain in the muscles,” explains Dr. Cohen-Koubi because the body is deprived of a vitamin which promotes the renewal of muscle fibers.
  • Unusual fatigue.
  • Muscle cramps.
  • Dizziness.
  • Signs of dry skin.
  • Signs of depression: “A vitamin D deficiency can have an impact on morale because serotonin is less well regulated. “
  • Weight gain. “If there is a deficiency, the body regulates insulin less well and the person tends to crave more sugar and to put on weight. “
  • Tingling may appear “certainly because of the lack of vitamin D and its action on the muscles“. However, the expert adds that this tingling can also be due to a lack of potassium or magnesium.

What are the causes of vitamin D deficiency?

The human body does not produce vitamin D on its own, so it must be supplied from the outside. In fact, the causes of a deficiency can be multiple:

  • lack of sun. The sun is one of the two sources of vitamin D: “If the patient is not exposed for 15 to 20 minutes a day, face uncovered and arms uncovered, the body is not synthesizing enough vitamin D to meet the daily requirements. “

 

 

  • an insufficiently balanced diet.” Foods rich in vitamin D are essential to avoid deficiencies” explains the nutritionist. “But without sunlight, these foods may not be enough and supplementation may be necessary.”
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