Gul Rukh
PESHAWAR: Nature has always been kind in supplying all of the resources that humans require to stay fit and healthy. If we look about, we can see that we are surrounded by a wealth of natural resources, if we simply take responsibility for our bodies and their needs.
Vitamin-D is one of these significant items that is sometimes overlooked although it is a major requirement of our bodies. Vitamin-D is produced by the human body when it is exposed to sunlight, that’s why it’s also called ‘Sunshine Vitamin’.
Unlike other vitamins, our bodies are designed to produce Vitamin-D, but to combat the shortage in other vitamins, one needs to take supplements or make dietary modifications.
This article is all about Vitamin-D, its benefits and importance, what happens when we don’t get enough of it, and Vitamin-D-rich foods. And lastly, a few comments of my friend who went through the torment of being bedridden for several months, just because of the deficiency of Vitamin-D.
Benefits of Vitamin-D
Vitamin-D tends to make your bones and teeth strong by maintaining a balanced level of calcium and phosphorus levels in the blood.
Apart from that, it not only boosts immune system but also helps in improving the nervous system of the human body.
Moreover, having enough Vitamin-D in one’s body can help you in fighting against the risk of flu as it has a protective effect against the influenza virus. Thus, consuming enough Vitamin-D becomes even more crucial during this situation of pandemics.
In addition to that, Vitamin-D3 also tends to help in shredding those unwanted fats by aiding in weight loss and also keeps mood upbeat by improving heart function.
Risks of Low Vitamin-D level
Vitamin-D deficiency can cause bone weakening, which can lead to fractures even in the slightest of accidents. It can cause rickets in children. Rickets is an uncommon condition in which a child’s bones become weakened and flex.
Symptoms
If you find more than three of the below-mentioned symptoms, I’d suggest that one shouldn’t delay in getting in touch with physician to avoid any potential mishaps.
- Constant back pain
- Fatigue and weakness
- Poor appetite
- Increased thirst and urination
- Regular skin infections
- Heavy hair loss
- Muscle pain
- Low energy level
- Down mood
- Constipation
- Nausea
Vitamin-D rich food
Below are some of the foods one can consume for boosting Vitamin-D level.
- fatty fish, such as salmon, mackerel, and tuna
- egg yolk
- cheese
- beef liver
- mushrooms
- fortified milk
- fortified cereals and juices
- mushrooms
- fortified soy milk
- beef liver
Similarly, consuming too much Vitamin-D than normally needed can also be harmful. One of my friends, Aleena, who is a lecturer at AWKUM, had faced the same issue. So I got in touch with her to shed some light on her experience regarding the matter.
How to know body is Vitamin-D deficient?
Because I have early ovarian insufficiency, I have to monitor my calcium and Vitamin-D levels every six months. Because calcium and Vitamin-D cannot be regulated if your hormones are out of whack.
As per my doctor’s recommendation, I had a Dexa scan and discovered that I have osteoporosis (bones get weak)
What were the symptoms?
Usually, people get tired and feel tired, they can’t sit or walk or stand for a long time.
How did to cope with deficiency?
As I had severe weakness in my bones, my doctor recommended a Vitamin-D injection once a month which one can inject or take orally too. Besides this, I was taking calcium tablets daily which are formulas of Cal+Vitamin-D.
Did that help you?
I did my tests again after a year or two only to find out that my Vitamin-D level had exceeded from the normal range, which again isn’t good for health. As I used to sit in sunlight a lot at my university and home, so my deficiency was filling up naturally and filled up with supplements too.
What did you do to bring it to a normal level?
I stopped taking supplements and after six months it came back to the normal range as Vitamin-D dissolves slowly in the body.
