Vitamin D Deficiency

Question: What could be a possible reason for a vitamin D deficiency? I drink milk everyday, I eat a vitamin D enriched cereal with milk, I take a multivitamin, and I eat yogurt, not everyday but at least twice a week. Yet, I have a Vitamin D deficiency. What could the reason be? I get a lot of sun too. I live in the south and I'm outside quite a bit.

Answer: The best source of vitamin D is sunlight onto bare skin. Dietary sources are usually not that high in vitamin d, even if you eat all those things regularly would would maybe get 50% of your RDI from them. The highest dietary source is cod liver oil by far. There are two types of vitamin D put in supplements, D2 and D3. D3 is the more natural form and is far more effective than the D2 variant as it converts to the usable form in the body at a much higher rate. Also with supplements, the amount that actually get absorbs matters a lot too. I've been using nfuze (link below) which is the first multi-vitamin with nanotechnology for the maximum absorption of the vitamins and nutrients. It can take a while to fix a vitamin D deficiancy, you would need to take either cod liver oil or something like nfuze and try and maximise your sun exposure for a while to get your levels right up.

Question: If I have a Vitamin D deficiency, will sitting in the sun more often help me? I am well aware that I can take a supplement to get my Vitamin D, but I've read that sun helps with Vitamin D deficiency. Is this true?

Answer: Yes. You need to have your skin exposed (arms,legs) because your skin will synthesize vitamin D. Don't use sunscreen beforehand, and don't wash your skin for an hour after exposure to the sun. First your skin will make the D, then it has to assimilate, through your skin. Good for you.

Question: Would fixing my vitamin D deficiency make my iris look brighter? At age 12 my eyes turned suddenly from blue to murky green. Now I am 34 and I always say I have green eyes! Only an iridologist picks up that my eyes are actually blue. She said it is because of all the toxins in my body. Recently I was diagnosed with vitamin D deficiency and started taking supplements. After 3 days my iris are very bright, and starting to look a little more on the blue side. Any ideas?

Answer: Hey Kaz. Almost all studies do not show that Vitamin D is connected to the eyes. Vitamin D Deficiency results in impaired bone mineralization, and leads to bone softening diseases like Rickets, Osteomalacia, Osteoporosis, high blood pressure, tuberculosis, cancer, periodontal disease, multiple sclerosis, chronic pain, seasonal affective disorder, peripheral artery disease, cognitive impairment which includes memory loss and foggy brain and several autoimmune diseases including type 1 diabetes. But it is probable that you could have a mild condition of one of the above disorders and that disorder caused your iris to become murky green, and after taking more Vitamin D, that disorder got better and caused your iris to shine brighter. Regards ~ Josh Tam http://joshtam.net

Question: My doc tested me for a vitamin d deficiency, what are the symptoms? Obviously havent gotten the test results back yet. Vitamin D is the one supplement I dont take but I do take a multivitamin. What are the symptoms of a deficiency?

Answer: In America adolescent girls are at greatest risk for Vit D deficiency. The test is expensive, supplementing is cheap AND NOT DANGEROUS unless you have liver damage or take way too much. Most common symptoms of borderline deficiency are back pain, diffuse and not resolving with exercise or therapy. More common w/ kids living indoors, not much sunshine. limited milk consumption..

Question: light skinned women have high rates of vitamin D deficiency? Would light skinned women, who do not generallycover their arms, hair and neck when outdoors, have high rates of vitamin D deficiency? please explain with reason thanks!

Answer: It really depends on the season and the amount of time spent outdoors. About 15 mins of directly sun exposure a day provides enough Vitamin D, but many people don't get that, especially during the winter. Few foods provide significant amount of vitamin D, so the best option for most people is vitamin D supplements: 1000 or 2000 IU a day is a good dose. Additionally,researchers are realizing that the recommended daily doses of vitamin D are far too low- the FDA just doubled the recommended dose for kids (which some experts still consider low)and Canada has recently raised the recommended dose for adults. Vitamin D deficiency has been associated with higher risk for auto-immune disease, cancer, and many conditions! Supplements constitute an inexpensive, safe, and effective measure for those of us who don't spend much time in the sun.

Question: I use sunscreen every day- could i develop a vitamin D deficiency? I was just wondering, because i rarely go outside with out sunscreen usually SPF 32. So if i use it all the time could i develop a vitamin D deficiency, from the lack of sun exposure?

Answer: Yes you could, easily. Vitamin D deficiency is on the rise following the sucess of skin cancer campaigns and it's the kind of thing you may not know you have until much later in life when you develop bone problems (or for women if you have a baby with rickets). If you are concerned that you may be short of Vitamin D see your doctor. They can refer you for a simple blood test to check your levels. I recently found out - to my surprise - that I have a Vitamin D deficiency. I only discovered it through routine early pregnancy screening tests as I had no reason to think there was any problem. I am fair skinned and live in the Australia and was under the impression that with my skin in this climate a few minutes of sunshine here and there was all that was needed. As I burn easily, I always put on sunscreen if I am going out for more than a few minutes. It looks like I was too good at covering up! I am now trying to make sure I get 20 minutes of direct sunshine to my arms, legs and face (no sunscreen) at least every other day while the weather is still warm enough - although still using sunscreen in the peak UV hours of 10am-3pm each day. Avoiding those hours isn't be necessary over winter, and more hours of sunlight are needed then, but I may not be quite so willing to bare my skin outside! People with darker skin need more sunlight to ensure they get enough Vitamin D, as do older people. Your body loses the ability to create it as efficiently as you get older. Some foods contain Vitamin D, and Vitamin D tablets are available - I am taking those as well depending on the weather. Sunlight is the safest most efficient way to get Vitamin D as there is no danger of overdosing because your body stops making it when you have enough. More information on Vitamin D deficiency is here: http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/bhcv2…

Question: What causes a Vitamin D deficiency? I've been told I have a Vitamin D deficiency and have to take prescription strength D twice a week for eight weeks. How did that happen?

Answer: It can be genetic or lack of Vit D in your diet. Also depending on where you live, lack of sunlight. If you are an office worker or work in a store, you will get no natural sunlight, hence the lack of Vit D in your system. We need Vit D to absorb calcium and that is its only function. Without that you will have problems with your bones and mental health. So the Vit D is VERY important to take for those 8 weeks. Good Luck!

Question: wife has vitamin D deficiency what are the causes and dangers ? wife has vitamin D deficiency. what are dangers and causes.

Answer: nobody really knows the cause, but we are indoors much more than we were 50 -100 yrs ago & they think that may be part of it. Vit D deficiency can cause muscle & joint pain, fatigue, lead to osteoporosis etc. Her physician should have given her some info on this. They usually supplement in large doses 10-50,000 IUfor several mos & then decrease to 1000 IU/day

Question: What are the issues if a person is diagnosed with Vitamin D deficiency and is 29 yrs old ? OK, I know about sunshine and also Vit D for good strong bones, but a 29 yr old friend was diagnosed and put on a rather expensive prescription for Vitamin D. What are the "problems" associated with low vitamin D beside the sun and bone issue ? THanks

Answer: Your immune system is compromised and your more prone to cancer and heart disease are just a couple i'm aware of.

Question: How do I know if have a vitamin D deficiency? I eat healthy, but I'm lactose intolerant and can't drink milk or eat most dairy products. Also, I don't spend much time in the sun because my skin is extremely pale and I burn almost instantly. Do I need to take a vitamin D supplement? I'm sure that I don't get enough vitamin D, although I don't have symptoms right now.

Answer: The only way to know for sure is to do a blood test to check for the levels of vitamin D.It's very important to get vitamin D and the best way to get is to spend at least 15 min daily in the sun.Lots of people are vitamin D deficiant because they don't go outside enough.