The human body depends on a cocktail of vitamins and minerals in order to remain healthy. Vitamin D, commonly referred to a the "sunshine" vitamin, is among the essential vitamins needed to maintain a healthy body. When vitamin D is lacking in the human body, a number of deficiency symptoms may present themselves, such as bone or muscle pain or spinal deformities, asthma, and dental deformities in children, as well as cognitive impairment in older people. Cancer and cardiac disease have both been linked to vitamin D deficiency symptoms as well.
All vitamins play a role in the human body. Vitamin D has long been referred to as the "sunshine" vitamin because it is produced in the human body as a direct response to exposure to the sun's rays. Vitamin D is also found naturally in liver, oily fish, and eggs. In the United States, milk is often fortified with vitamin D as well.
When a body suffers from vitamin D deficiency symptoms, it can be devastating to the body. Children who do not get enough vitamin D during their early years can suffer from poor bone formation, including the disease rickets, which leads to softened and weakened bones. In addition, a child who suffers from vitamin D deficiency symptoms may also present with dental deformities or with extremely late dental growth.
Adults who suffer from a deficiency of vitamin D are at risk for losing cognitive abilities, as well as a variety of other medical complications. Cancer and cardiac disease are some of the more serious medical conditions that can result from a vitamin D deficiency in adults. In addition, a vitamin D deficiency may increase the likelihood of suffering from hypertension or type one or two diabetes.
For anyone who feels he or she suffers from vitamin D deficiency symptoms, there are a number of lifestyle changes that may help. Diet, of course, plays an important role in providing the body with the essential vitamins needed to function properly. If an individual's diet does not contain foods which naturally contain vitamin D, then a supplement may be necessary.
Sunlight plays a major role in producing vitamin D within the human body. For anyone who spends a considerable amount of time indoors or who lives in a northern latitude, exposure to sunlight may be limited. Making an effort to spend more time outdoors can be a simple solution to a lack of vitamin D.
