Do you sometimes wonder why you get allergies from drinking milk? Or perhaps you can’t stick to a vegetarian diet set by your nutritionist. Your body might be suffering from the lack of Vitamin D or the sunshine vitamin. You cannot only get Vitamin D through sunlight. You can also get this from foods such as egg yolks, fish, fortified dairy products, fish liver oils, and grain products at the same time. This is an essential vitamin to build stronger bones and maximizes the effects of calcium in the body.
But what causes vitamin D deficiency? There are so many reasons why an individual does not have sufficient amount of Vitamin D in the body. If you have been following a strict vegetarian diet, there is a big chance that you will not have enough Vitamin D unless you take capsules or tablets along with your diet. Natural sources of the sunshine vitamin are often based on animal products such as beef liver, fish, cheese, and fish oil.
It is also likely that you do not have enough sunlight exposure which causes your lack of vitamin D. Every time you are exposed to sunlight, your body will automatically create that much needed vitamin D. Therefore, you should always take time to expose your skin at least once a week to gather enough natural vitamin D needed by your body.
People who have dark skin are also at risk of vitamin D deficiency. Their skin’s pigment melanin restricts the amount of vitamin D that is absorbed by the body. According to the researches, adults who have darker skin have higher chances of getting this deficiency.
Aging can also be a factor that would contribute to the lack of Vitamin D in the body. The kidneys can no longer function properly which would convert the said vitamin to the active form. The older they get, the less capable their kidneys are in converting the vitamin D to the active form. Aside from the kidney, the digestive tract cannot also absorb the vitamin D properly due to aging. But other than aging, other health conditions can also affect the ability of the digestive tract to absorb vitamin D from natural sources. These medical conditions include cystic fibrosis, Crohn’s disease, and celiac disease.
If you are overweight or obese, there is also a high chance that you would lack the needed amount of vitamin D in your body. More often than not, those who have BMI of 30 or more are at risk of vitamin D deficiency.