Vitamin D
One of the most important vitamins that are required by your body, Vitamin D is essentially a group of fat-soluble secosteroids. It is produced by your body when you come in contact with sunlight. Additionally, Vitamin D is also found naturally in food and in vitamin D supplements. It is worth noting that although Vitamin D is more of a prohormone than a vitamin. Vitamins are essential nutrients that your body requires, which is taken from various external sources like food and supplements. However, in the case of Vitamin D, your body naturally creates it, when and if exposed to sunlight.

Among the group of compounds found in vitamin D, ergocalciferol (vitamin D2) and cholecalciferol (vitamin D3) is the most important. This vitamin plays a significant role in the overall functioning of the human body.
For one, it helps maintain good health of your teeth and bones. With the help of Vitamin D, your body can make use of the calcium it gets, for strong teeth and bones. Secondly, it helps with your immunity and keeps your nervous system and brain in good health. Vitamin D is also responsible for regulating the levels of insulin in your body and thereby, managing diabetes. Additionally, Vitamin D status in your body plays an important role as far as your cardiovascular and lung health is concerned as well.

Sources of Vitamin D
While your body does produce Vitamin D when it is exposed to sunlight, there are other sources of vitamin D as well. Let’s look into these…

Fish
Certain fish, particularly oily fish, contains a high source of vitamin D. Some of these fish include salmon, herring, swordfish, and sardines. Fish like herring consists of close to 306 IU in each piece of fish, while swordfish consists of around 706 IU in each piece. IU refers to the international unit, which determines the potency of a particular vitamin or hormone. Consuming one piece of herring or one piece of swordfish, gives you 51 per cent and 117 per cent of the required daily intake (RDA), respectively.

Cod Liver Oil
If you are not too fond of fish, then you can incorporate the use of cod liver oil into your diet to get the required intake of vitamin D. It is a rich source of vitamin D, giving you close to 450 IU in each teaspoon. This is about 75% of the required daily intake that is necessary for your body. In addition to being a rich source of vitamin D, cod liver oil is also an excellent source of Vitamin A. In fact, one teaspoon of cod liver oil gives you close to 90% of the required daily intake of vitamin A. It is worth noting that cod liver oil also contains high amounts of omega-3 fatty acids.

Egg Yolk
If you’re wondering that only seafood contains vitamin D, then here’s some good news. Egg yolk is a good source of vitamin D as well. However, there is a catch. Typically, eggs produced by chickens that are nurtured indoors will contain only around 18 to 39 IU. But if the chickens have been raised outside, then the Vitamin D content in the eggs will significantly increase. It increases to over four times the usual level. In some cases, chickens are fed with food that is rich in vitamin D. If this is the case, then you will enjoy close to 6000 IU of vitamin D in each yolk.

Mushrooms
If you’re a vegetarian and you feel left out, given the above sources of vitamin D, then here’s some good news – mushrooms contain a good source of this prohormone as well. In fact, mushrooms happen to be one of the only naturally occurring plant sources that contain vitamin D.

This vitamin D is produced in mushrooms in the same way that it is produced in humans, that is, on exposure to sunlight. Which is why it is important to consume mushrooms that have been cultivated in the open and exposed to sunlight. Wild mushrooms, in particular, have an abundance of sunlight, making them an excellent source of vitamin D, with nearly 2,000 IU of the same in around 100 grams of mushrooms. Often times, mushrooms that are cultivated commercially and exposed to sunlight will contain close to 130 to 450 IU of vitamin D, in every 100 grams.

Fortified Foods
In some cases, industries or companies commercially add vitamin D to the food that they sell. Some of these foods include soy milk, cow’s milk, orange juice, breakfast cereals, and oatmeal. Truth be told, these foods don’t contain as much vitamin D as found in their naturally occurring counterparts, but they do provide around 55 to 130 IU for every serving, approximately.

Vitamin d deficiency
When your body does not get the required amounts of vitamin D, it can suffer from vitamin D deficiency.
The lack or deficiency of this pro-hormone can cause several health complications and interfere with the quality of life. People who are above the age of 65, or those with a skin tone that is on the darker side, are more prone to suffering from vitamin D deficiency. Unfortunately, the symptoms of vitamin D deficiency are quite subtle, so identified this as an issue might be a bit of a hassle.

Vitamin D deficiency causes
There are a few causal factors associated with vitamin D deficiency. Let us look at each of them in detail.

The Diet You Follow
Sometimes, it’s true when they say you are what you eat. If your diet does not have the adequate amount of vitamin D that your body needs, you might end up suffering from a deficiency of the same. In case you are following a vegan diet, you need to especially be careful, as a vegan diet does not include seafood, dairy products, or egg yolk, all of which are sources of vitamin D. Make sure you incorporate vitamin D supplements, to make up for its loss from your diet, if you are vegan. You can also consume mushrooms, to meet the required input of vitamin D.

You Are Of A Darker Skin Tone
Melanin is the pigment that is responsible for giving the skin its colour. It also gives the eyes and hair its colour. The more melanin in your skin, the darker your skin tone will be. This pigment also protects your skin from the harmful radiation of the sun. However, melanin can also inhibit your skin’s ability to produce vitamin D. This is observed more in adults who have dark skin, as opposed to younger people and children who are dark-skinned.

You Aren’t Getting Enough Sun Exposure
As we’ve mentioned above, your body, when exposed to sunlight, can produce vitamin D for your body. Now if your exposure to sunlight is limited, chances are that your body is not getting the necessary amount of vitamin D. Other factors like living in a region that is of a higher altitude, working in a profession that requires you to be indoors for too long, or wearing clothing that covers you from head to toe, might inhibit your exposure to sunlight.

Obesity
Obesity is another major cause of vitamin D deficiency. The fat cells that are present in the body end up absorbing this prohormone, thereby, preventing the blood from using it for circulation. This way, your body is not getting the required amount of vitamin D. If your body mass index (BMI) is more than 30, then you should know that you are at an increased risk of suffering from vitamin D deficiency, as the vitamin D in your blood levels could below.

Your Digestive System Is Not Absorbing The Vitamin
Sometimes, if you are suffering from certain digestive problems and diseases such as celiac disease, Crohn disease, or cystic fibrosis, then chances are that you are suffering from a deficiency of vitamin D, as having a digestive disease is a causal factor. It can inhibit or interfere with the way your intestines function. When this happens, the ability of your intestines to absorb the vitamin D that is present in the food you eat gets affected.

Your Kidney Finds It Difficult To Process Vitamin D
This is more commonly observed in older adults. Kidney function gets affected with old age, which in turn makes it difficult for these organs to convert the vitamin D that they get from the food they eat to its active form. When this happens, the body is unable to meet the required amount of vitamin D that it needs. This results in you being deficient in vitamin D.

Vitamin D deficiency symptoms
Let us now look into the various signs and symptoms of vitamin D deficiency…

You Suffer From Bone Loss
As we mentioned before, Vitamin D helps the body absorb calcium. Calcium is important for your bone health and strength. If your body is not getting the required amount of calcium, it ends up taking calcium from your bones, which in turn can lead to weak bones and bone-related disorders like osteoporosis. If you suffer from bone loss, chances are that your body does not have enough vitamin D that can be used for your body to absorb the necessary calcium.

You Suffer From Hair Fall
Hair loss is often linked to the deficiency of nutrients in the body, like vitamin D. However, there is limited evidence associated with this particular claim. A deficiency of vitamin D is associated with an autoimmune disease known as alopecia areata. This disease is characterized by hair loss from the head as well as from other parts of the body. According to one study, vitamin D was topically applied for treatment for hair loss, on a young boy who was suffering from the same. Positive results were observed by the end of this study. It showed that vitamin D could, in fact, treat hair loss.

Wounds And Injuries Take Time To Heal
If wounds and injuries are taking time to heal, chances are that there is a lack of vitamin D in your body. In one study, it was observed that the process of healing, on people who had a dental procedure done, was slow when the levels of vitamin D in the body was at a low.

Additionally, vitamin D can control inflammation. Inflammation can slow down the process of healing, so if there is a lack of vitamin D in the body, chances are that you suffer from inflammation as well, which in turn can compromise the pace at which your body recovers from an injury or wound. Another study was conducted on patients who were suffering from leg ulcers. On administering them with vitamin D, it was observed that the size of the ulcers, reduced by close to 28%, on an average.

You Experience Severe Back Pain
Several studies have indicated that low levels or a deficiency of vitamin D could be associated with back pain. In one study that was conducted on close to 9,000 women, it was observed that most of their back pain was associated with low levels of vitamin D in the body.

Depression And Mood Swings
A study was conducted to determine the relationship between vitamin D and depression. It was observed that there is, in fact, a strong link between the two. In one study, vitamin D was administered to patients who were suffering from depression and seasonal depression. An improvement in their condition was observed. However, there is not enough evidence to support the fact that vitamin D can directly impact depression positively.

In conclusion
Vitamin D is an important nutrient that is required for the good health of your bones, teeth, immune system, cardiovascular system, and lungs. A deficiency of this pro-hormone can cause a lot of health complications and impact the quality of your life. If you suspect that you are suffering from vitamin D deficiency, consult your doctor at the earliest. Incorporate vitamin D rich foods like seafood, egg yolks, mushroom, and certain fortified foods to meet the required daily intake of vitamin D. Additionally, make sure that your body gets ample sunlight on a regular basis. This is the best way for you to get vitamin D into your system.