The sunshine vitamin helps boost bone and muscle growth, but a lack of it can really hurt your health.
Not getting enough vitamin D? You could be at risk for some serious health conditions.
Vitamin D has many health benefits, from promoting bone and muscle growth to lowering high blood pressure. Studies suggest it may even help ease fibromyalgia pain and slow the progression of multiple sclerosis. But the opposite is also true: Not getting enough vitamin D can hurt your health in ways you may not expect.
Symptoms of vitamin D deficiency include bone pain, muscle weakness, increased blood pressure, and depression. It has also been linked to the following serious health conditions:
1. Dementia. A 2014 study published in the journal Neurology found that moderate-to-severe vitamin D deficiency in older adults may double the risk for some forms of dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease. Dementia is a decline in thinking, behavior, and memory that negatively affects daily life. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia, accounting for as many as 80 percent of dementia cases, according to the Alzheimer’s Association.
The study looked at more than 1,600 dementia-free adults aged 65 years or older. People with low levels of vitamin D had a 53 percent increased risk of developing dementia. People who were severely deficient in vitamin D had a 125 percent increased risk, as compared to people with normal vitamin D levels. People who had lower levels of vitamin D were about 70 percent more likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease. Those who were severely deficient were over 120 percent more likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease.
Experts aren’t sure how vitamin D is connected with dementia, but suspect that the sunshine vitamin might help clear plaques in the brain linked to dementia. Eating a healthy diet, exercising regularly, and maintaining friendships and social support systems can help reduce risk.
2. Prostate cancer. A 2014 study published in the journal Clinical Cancer Research found a link between low blood levels of vitamin D and aggressive prostate cancer in European-American and African-American men.
Researchers looked at vitamin D levels in 667 men aged 40 to 79 years undergoing prostate biopsies. The connection between vitamin D and prostate cancer was especially strong in African-American men. The results showed that African-American men with low vitamin D levels were more likely to test positive for the cancer than people with normal vitamin D levels.
Prostate cancer occurs mostly in older men with the average age of diagnosis being about 66 years old, according to the American Cancer Society. It’s the most common cancer in men, and the second most common cause of cancer death in American men.
3. Erectile dysfunction. A 2014 study published in the Journal of Sexual Medicine found that men with severe erectile dysfunction (ED) had significantly lower vitamin D levels than men with mild ED.
ED is the most common sexual problem among men, affecting up to 30 million American men. ED can stem from other health conditions like diabetes, prostate cancer, and high blood pressure. Common ED treatments include hormonal replacement therapy, counseling, and lifestyle changes like quitting smoking, limiting alcohol, and eating a balanced diet.
4. Schizophrenia. People who are vitamin D deficient are twice as likely to be diagnosed with schizophrenia as compared to people with sufficient vitamin D levels, according to a 2014 study published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism. Researchers of the study reviewed findings from 19 observational studies that looked at the relationship between schizophrenia and vitamin D.
Schizophrenia is a severe brain disorder that affects more than two million American adults, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness. Symptoms, which commonly start between ages 16 and 30, may include hallucinations, incoherent speech, withdrawal from others, and trouble focusing or paying attention. Although there is no cure for schizophrenia, it is treatable. Treatment for schizophrenia might include medication, psychosocial therapy, cognitive-behavioral therapy, and even family education and support groups.
5. Heart disease. According to research presented at the American College of Cardiology’s 63rd Annual Scientific Session, vitamin D deficiency has been linked to more severe cases of heart disease.
Researchers found that more than 70 percent of patients undergoing coronary angiography – imaging to see how blood is flowing through the arteries – had a vitamin D deficiency.
Vitamin D is known as the sunshine vitamin because the body naturally produces it when the skin is directly exposed to sunlight. You can also get the necessary daily amount through your diet or supplements. Vitamin D-rich foods include milk, cheese, and fatty fish like tuna, salmon, and mackerel. Certain foods such as cereals, orange juice, soy products, yogurt, and margarines are sometimes fortified with vitamin D.
The National Institutes of Health recommends that most adults get about 600 IUs (International Units) of vitamin D daily.
From Every Day Health
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