By RA Butters


Without enough vitamin D, women face significantly increased health risks at all stages of life.

Vitamin D has long been recognized for its importance to bone strength, but a growing body of medical evidence indicates that it plays a crucial role in many aspects of health. Though it is the only vitamin that the body can produce, deficiency is alarmingly common. As many as three fourths of the adults and teens in the US are believed to have inadequate levels, and D vitamin deficiency has been identified as a growing health problem all over the world.

Exposure to the sun triggers the skin to manufacture the vitamin, but the body's ability to produce it declines with age. There are relatively few natural food sources of it, and most people get the majority of the vitamin by drinking fortified milk.

Crucial to bone, muscle development in adolescent girls

Recent research by the University of Manchester, UK screened 99 girls between 12 and 14 years of age. 75% of the girls had demonstrably low blood levels of D vitamin, though none of the girls showed symptoms of deficiency.

The researchers then tested the girls' muscle strength and force. The girls who were not deficient scored significantly higher in the strength and force tests than those who were deficient, leading the research team to conclude that the link between deficiency and relative weakness definitely merits further study. The study data highlights the importance of the vitamin to muscle function in adolescent girls, they said, adding that there could be implications for long-term bone development.

Levels particularly important during pregnancy

Studies show that inadequate levels of D vitamin during pregnancy could have a negative impact on many aspects of pregnancy, from increasing the risk of pre-eclampsia to decreasing the length of gestation, birth weight, and odds for good fetal bone development.

It is also believed that sufficiency of the vitamin during pregnancy can actually lower the child's risk of many health problems and diseases later in life.

One of the most important nutrients for women during and after menopause

The hormonal swings of menopause, together with an increasingly indoor-oriented lifestyle and the aging body's decreased ability to manufacture D vitamin, makes deficiency among older women common. This is particularly dangerous, experts say, because low levels of the vitamin significantly increase the risk of osteoporosis, osteomalasia, and hip fractures.

In addition, deficiency has been related to an increased risk of several types of cancer, including breast cancer, as well as a higher incidence of heart disease, multiple sclerosis, asthma, and diabetes.

By Jared Hillman


One of the common types of vitamin deficiency is vitamin B12 deficiency. Although our body requires a little amount of it to maintain healthy levels, there are people who don't eat the right food to get this kind of vitamin. Especially vegan people who eat a diet poor on vitamin B12 and don't complement it with the help of B12 supplements.

Most of the time, the symptoms of this deficiency go unnoticed, however as the condition gets more severe you will start noticing a series of signs hat tell you there's something wrong. The main sign that you have a deficiency of B12 is anemia, when you suffer from it you feel fatigued, weak and lethargic. In some cases this causes you to lose weight because of loss of appetite.

If the deficiency gets more severe, other symptoms will arise, such as: dizziness, insomnia, memory problems, enlargement of the liver, depression, eye problems, headache, numb hands and feet, hallucinations, tinnitus, palpitations and even neurological damage.

To avoid these problems you need to eat a balanced diet. This vitamin B12 can be found in dairy, fish, eggs and meat. If you are a vegan, you'll see that you need to integrate B12 in your life with the use of supplements. Don't worry these supplements are safe and your doctor can give you the right amount to ingest each and every day.

As you can see, keeping an eye on the symptoms can be very beneficial to avoid severe deficiency. That's why it is always recommended to go to a doctor for a periodic checkup to see if your body is getting everything it needs.

By Jared Hillman


Vitamin D deficiency problems are among the most common vitamin deficiency problems; although the occurrence of this deficiency has greatly lowered over the last decades, it still present due to certain factors.

Vitamin D is produced thanks to the rays of the sun, which stimulates its production. You may have heard about the "sunshine vitamin", well now you know why they call vitamin D that way. Problems with vitamin D often arise because of a lack of information about the causes and the symptoms of vitamin D deficiency. The people who are more at risk from suffering the symptoms are infants and pregnant women.

The symptoms of vitamin D deficiency appear as problems with the bones and muscles. This vitamin is the one that help our bones and muscles become strong, so any lack of it will develop conditions such as bowed legs and weak lower body movement. These conditions are: osteomalacia, rickets and osteoporosis, and they all refer to the same things but on different ages.

Besides these obvious conditions, there are a series of other vitamin D deficiency symptoms that must be checked, and often go unnoticed, such as: chronic fatigue, periodontal disease, bowed limbs, diabetes type one, tuberculosis, chronic pain on muscles, bones and joints; lower levels of calcium, hypertension.

These vitamin D deficiency signs are not exclusive, meaning that they don't necessarily indicate a problem with this vitamin, however if you feel any of those, take them as a warning sign and go visit a proper doctor who will help you running some tests to determine your current levels of vitamin D.

The people who run a greater risk of developing the symptoms of vitamin D deficiency are people who are undergoing a period in life where vitamin needs are increased (pregnant women and infants), people who don't get enough sun exposure (form not going out to much or covering too much of the body, and people who suffer of vitamin D malabsorption (this one can be caused by cholesterol lowering drugs, hormones and some types of antacids).

Pregnant and lactating women must ensure to get proper levels of vitamin D to avoid kids with deficiency problems and rickets. Often doctors will recommend multivitamins designed to meet the needs of pregnant women, but to avoid the symptoms of vitamin D deficiency, you must also go out and get safe sun exposure.

By R. Edward Jones


The benefits of Vitamin D are not much talked about in the press. That could be why most folks are unaware of the major benefits of Vitamin D. But please don't think that Vitamin D is not for you.

Vitamin D is another one of those fat soluble vitamins. Fat soluble means that Vitamin D (along with Vitamin A and E) are stored by your body.

Vitamin D is the only vitamin that your body can manufacture. Your body needs exposure to sunlight (without sunscreen) for this to occur.

Your body can also get benefits of Vitamin D from food sources or from supplements. Food sources of Vitamin D include cod liver oil, fatty fish like sardines, tuna or salmon, milk that is Vitamin D fortified and eggs.

However, most folks do not get the required amount of Vitamin D from their diet or exposure to sunlight.

Can't I Get the Benefits of Vitamin D from My Diet Alone

An article in the READER'S DIGEST titled "The Healing Vitamin" states that "Even with a healthy diet, you may be D-ficient (get it? D-ficient?)." The article argues that Vitamin D is not found in many foods and the foods that it is found in, people don't eat enough of.

In addition, folks are using sunscreen to keep the sun from damaging their skin. And even sunscreen with an 8 SPF cuts the UV rays necessary to make your Vitamin D to almost nothing.

An article in the JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION titled "Vitamins for Chronic Disease Prevention in Adults" points out the benefits of Vitamin D. It states that "low levels of vitamin D contribute to osteopenia (comes before osteoporosis) and fractures."

This same article goes on to state that "most people do not consume an optimal amount of all vitamins by diet alone" and "pending strong evidence of effectiveness from randomized trials, it appears prudent for all adults to take vitamin supplements."

Benefits of Vitamin D in Preventing Osteoporosis

Another article appearing in the JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION titled "Osteoporosis, Prevention, Diagnosis and Therapy" tells us that "adequate calcium and vitamin D intake is crucial to develop optimal peak bone mass and to preserve bone mass throughout life."

The major benefits of Vitamin D is in enabling your body to use calcium and phosphorous. Without Vitamin D, your body cannot process the calcium in your diet and starts taking it from your bones.

In adults, this results in the bone disease called osteoporosis. In children, a severe Vitamin D deficiency causes what's called rickets.

Rickets is a softening of bones in children and is rare in the industrialized nations though.

An article in the NATIONAL LIBRARY OF MEDICINE titled "What Was Wrong With Tiny Tim" amusingly argues that Tiny Tim of the Charles Dickens’s "A Christmas Carol" fame is thought to have suffered from Rickets.

That's Not Very Funny

Although Rickets is rare in the industrialized world, osteoporosis is not. In the U.S. it is estimated that 10 million folks have osteoporosis. 18 million more have low bone mass making it highly likely that they too will eventually have this crippling disease.

Osteoporosis is a major health concern and major source of suffering for us older folks. It is estimated that one in two women and one out of every eight men over 50 years of age will have a fracture related to osteoporosis.

300,000 fractures of the hip, 700,000 fractures of the vertebrae, 250,000 fractures of the wrist and over 300,000 other fractures happen every year related to this disease.

Again, the major benefits of Vitamin D is that it enables your small intestine to absorb calcium from the foods you eat. Calcium is required by your muscles and nerves as well as for bone formation.

When your muscles and nerves are not getting enough calcium because of low Vitamin D levels, your body robs it from your bones.

Your bones then become porous and brittle. This does not happen overnight but over the course of your lifetime. That is why prevention of osteoporosis should begin at childhood. And making sure you get the benefits of Vitamin D along with an adequate supply of calcium is one way to do so.

Benefits of Vitamin D in Slowing Progression of Osteoarthritis

Another Osteo you say? Sorry! This time it's osteoarthritis (OA). This disease is a gradual deterioration of the cartilage in the joints. It is the most common form of arthritis.

Another of the benefits of Vitamin D is that it has been shown to lessen the severity of the pain and disability of this disease. The Arthritis Foundation has also reported on the link between low levels of Vitamin D and the increased progression of osteoarthritis of the knees.

Also, in an article in the JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION titled "Steps Toward Understanding, Alleviating Osteoarthritis Will Help Aging Population," we are advised that "preliminary results appear particularly strong for vitamin D."

Are There Other Benefits of Vitamin D? What About Vitamin D and Cancer?

More research is needed but preliminary studies have shown benefits of Vitamin D in areas such as high blood pressure, cancer of the colon as well as breast cancer and diabetes.

Can I Get My Benefits of Vitamin D Without Taking Too Much?

Dr Reinhold Vieth, Dept. of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto argues that the Recommended Dietary Allowance (birth to 50 years - 200 IU, 50+ years - 400 IU) may keep you from getting osteomalacia. But he feels more is needed to keep you from getting osteoporosis and secondary hyperparathyroidism.

In an article published in THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF CLINICAL NUTRITION, titled "Vitamin D supplementation, 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentrations, and safety," he argues that our ancestors were "naked apes in tropical Africa (his words)." And as such they enjoyed full body exposure to the sun on a daily basis. This, he stated, could give them the equivalent of 10,000 IU every day (and possibly a severe sunburn - my words).

A Tolerable Upper Intake Level (UL) has been set by The Food and Nutrition Board of the Institute of Medicine. This is the level of Vitamin D that they suggest you do not exceed. The UL for infants 0 to 12 months old is 1000 IU. The UL for both children as well as adults is 2000 IU.

Studies done since 1997 suggest that the current UL is conservative and that Vitamin D is safe below levels up to as high as 10,000 IU.

Since multivitamins supply Vitamin D in doses of 400 to 800 IU as do the single supplements, you should feel more than safe getting your benefits of Vitamin D.