Good Housekeeping: 4 Surprising Signs of Vitamin D Deficiency You Should Know
Good Housekeeping recently interviewed Elizabeth Vi Nguyen, PharmD, a clinical pharmacist at Cedars-Sinai, about the importance of vitamin D for maintaining bone, heart and brain health, as well as a strong immune system.
Up to 50% of people are deficient in vitamin D because of diet, lack of sun exposure, and certain medical conditions or medications. However, most are unaware because they don’t experience symptoms—which can include bone pain, muscle weakness, fatigue and mood changes.
Nguyen told Good Housekeeping about a potential link between vitamin D deficiency and certain health problems, including depression, fractures, diabetes, heart disease, cancer and infection, making it “a global concern.”
The Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for most people under 70 is 15 mcg (600 IU) per day of vitamin D, while people older than 70 should get 20 mcg (800 IU) daily. To reach these levels, Nguyen recommended a combination of vitamin D supplements and foods that naturally contain the nutrient (oily fish, such as salmon, mackerel and herring; mushrooms; and eggs) as well as foods fortified with vitamin D.
She told Good Housekeeping supplements should be taken with food to make them easier to absorb and added “Vitamin D helps the body absorb calcium, and they are frequently taken together to help build and maintain muscle and bone health.”
Nguyen told Good Housekeeping people should not rely on sunshine alone for vitamin D because “factors such as season, latitude, skin pigmentation and sunscreen can limit vitamin D production.”
She added “excessive unprotected sun exposure can lead to wrinkles and sunspots and increase risk for skin cancer.”
Click here to read the complete article from Good Housekeeping.