Vitamin D deficiency: One common symptom of dangerously low levels of vital compound

As winter approaches, vitamin D supplements adorn shop windows, stressing how important it is to dose up on the sun drug. Generally, many health experts suggest that adults should consume foods high in vitamin D and take supplements to get at least 600 IU per day. People with darker skin or who avoid sunshine should also eat more vitamin D year-round.

Originally, doctors believed that the vitamin was only important for bone health.

This is because deficiency in it causes bone diseases like rickets in children and osteoporosis in adults.

But in 1980, researchers discovered that immune cells had receptors for vitamin D.

There has since emerged a whole catalogue of symptoms related to deficiency in vitamin D, including things as varied as becoming sick often, being susceptible to infections, fatigue and tiredness, as well as bone and back pain.

One of the lesser known symptoms, according to the media company Bright Side, is random excessive sweating.

While sweating is a normal thing, if it seems excessive or not brought on by anything particularly obvious, that can be a sign that you are lacking vitamin D.

It is among the first symptoms of dangerously low vitamin D levels, and one that is often missed.

The same can be said for infants.

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Parents are often asked by their doctors in the first few months of their child’s lives to monitor any signs of excessive sweating, especially around the head region.

There are several further signs of low levels.

A depressed mood, especially during the winter, may also be a sign of a deficiency.

In review studies, researchers have linked vitamin D deficiency to depression, particularly in older adults.

One analysis showed that 65 percent of the observational studies found a relationship between low blooded levels of vitamin D and depression.

Some studies have even shown that giving vitamin D to people who are deficient helps to improve depressive moods, including seasonal depression, which typically occurs during the colder months.

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Vitamin D plays a vital role in calcium absorption and bone metabolism.

Thus when levels are low, bone density can sometimes falter.

Hair loss is often attributed to stress, but can also be a sign of nutrient deficiency.

One study published to PubMed showed that people with alopecia areata showed lower vitamin D blood levels tended to be associated with more severe hair loss.

There are other common symptoms too: muscle pain, weight gain and anxiety.

Many treatments are in place for severe deficiencies, like vitamin D injections that would be administered on your doctor’s discretion.

You can also add vitamin D rich foods to your daily diet like fatty fish, egg yolks, fortified cereals, milks and juices, yoghurt and beef liver.

And, since sunlight is another natural source of vitamin D, your doctor may recommend you spend more time outdoors — although care is needed when exposing bare skin to ultraviolet rays.

There are also vitamin supplements on the market, although much as been said of their effectiveness.

In 2019, a large review of all the compiled research on vitamin D supplements suggested that in low or high doses, the pills play no such significant role.

But this does not stop millions flocking to the shops in the hope that they can boost at least some of what is lost to the long days of summer.

If you think you have a vitamin D deficiency you should contact your local GP.