We all know that the sun is the primary source of vitamin D. Vitamin D makes your bones strong and promotes cognitive health. While there are several known benefits of vitamin D, its deficiency may lead to health issues.
According to doctors, there are a lot of associations between its deficiency and poor health outcomes but there is nothing concrete to prove it. But exposure to the sun in a safe way improves your health and reduces your risk of multiple diseases.
There are very limited foods that can provide you vitamin D and salmon is one such source. To some extent egg yolks, cereals, fortified milk and orange juice can also some amount of vitamin D.
According to some reports, fatigue, muscle weakness, bone pain and mood changes are some of the symptoms of vitamin D. If you have not changed your lifestyle off late, consider calling up your primary health care provider.
Now, let’s focus on the main topic i.e. what are the risks of not getting enough Vitamin D?
A study, published in February 2017 in the BMJ, looked at data from 25 clinical trials that examined the impact of vitamin D on respiratory infections including pneumonia, bronchitis, and sinusitis.
The study found that people who took vitamin D were 12 percent less likely to develop respiratory illness compared with people who did not take the vitamin. While that percentage may seem impressive, study authors noted there were limitations.
Vitamin D is important for maintaining skeletal health. “Low levels of vitamin D lead to low bone calcium stores, increasing the risk of fractures,” According to Harvard Medical School.
Also, those who are familiar with the seasonal affective disorder (SAD) will not be surprised to hear that vitamin D deficiency may be linked to a higher risk of depression.
According to a review published in October 2014 in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, people with vitamin D deficiency may be twice as likely to be diagnosed with schizophrenia compared with people with sufficient vitamin D levels,
A study published in August 2014 in the journal Neurology found that moderate and severe vitamin D deficiency in older adults was associated with a doubled risk for some forms of dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease.
The connection between low levels of vitamin D and diabetes is also clear. A study published in May 2014 in the journal Clinical Cancer Research found a link between low blood levels of vitamin D and aggressive prostate cancer in European American and African American men.
