How do you know that you need vitamin d supplements? The symptoms of vitamin d deficiency include weakness, fragile bones and impaired immunity. Though it may not always be the case and thus medical attention should be sought before pursuing a treatment program. With compromised immunity it is very common that the victim will suffer more than one vitamin d related ailments such as rickets. Also body and muscular stiffness are some symptoms to watch out for when diagnosing vitamin d deficiency.

After establishing that you are deficient in vitamin d, a supplementation program should be started immediately. This involves getting new sources of vitamin d other than the usual of sunlight and foods. Supplement is term used to describe dosages which have more of a required nutrient. In this case vitamin d supplements occur in capsules or liquid form. If possible, the supplements should be taken during meal times or daily so as to reduce the chance of skipping unintentionally.

Persons who stay indoors or live in cool temperate regions are at high risk of suffering from vitamin d deficiency. Also persons with dark complexion or the elderly have lower absorption rates of uv light from the sun. The sun which is a critical catalyst in the formation of vitamin d then loses its efficacy. Also temporal measures meant for skin preservation such as applying sun screen, can hinder the contact of the sun’s rays with the skin.

Vitamin d supplementation can also be recommended for persons who are deficient in calcium mineral. This is because they go hand in hand; calcium absorption is facilitated by vitamin d. In real sense, vitamin d acts in a similar way as hormones and influence the way calcium and phosphorus are absorbed. Limited levels of calcium indicate a problem with the proportion of vitamins in the blood stream. A regular supply should amount to between 30 and 80 nano grams per milliliter of blood.

In the current age and century, the need for vitamin d supplements has dwindled. This is because persons have become more aware of their diets and improved their quality of foods. Nearly all foods contain one or more of the vitamin d sub-constituents. Most of the foods especially dairy products are fortified with vitamins d and thus form some of the basic and most practical source of vitamin d supplements. Some supplements are provided in salt form such as carbonates or phosphates.