The vitamin D, which is also known as Sunshine Vitamin because body makes it from cholesterol when skin is exposed to sunlight is well known for its important role in the formation of healthy bones, immune function, cell growth, heart health and overall optimal health. It plays a crucial role and may even help prevent few cancers and protect against several chronic conditions like bone loss, depression, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, multiple sclerosis. However, vitamin D is now gaining popularity for its potential aid in preventing seasonal affective disorder and other mood disorders. That’s because your skin makes vitamin D when it is exposed to sunlight and the most common season related to higher reported occurrences of seasonal affective disorder related to Vitamin D insufficiency is winter when people have less exposure to sunlight. While winters are mild in Guwahati, if one is still fully dressed in winter gear covering hands and face, engage in indoor activities more, you will not get the same level of UV and vitamin D absorption as someone spending time outside in a warmer climate.
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Despite its importance, vitamin D deficiency is one of the most common nutritional deficiencies worldwide. A retrospective study in a tertiary care hospital in Guwahati has shown around 60% of the general population have vitamin D insufficiency. Rates of vitamin D deficiency are higher for women and in individuals aged 20–30 years. The vitamin D levels depend on a variety of factors. These include the age, skin color, current blood vitamin D levels, location, sun exposure and more and there are several groups of people that have higher vitamin D needs because of their age, how they live and certain medical conditions.
It’s a fat-soluble vitamin that plays critical roles in the proper functioning of the body. Symptoms of vitamin D deficiency may include fatigue, frequent illness, anxiety, bone pain, and slower wound healing, among others. Vitamin D directly interacts with the immune cells responsible for addressing infections. If you often become sick, low vitamin D levels may be a contributing factor. Research suggests there’s a link between vitamin D deficiency and respiratory tract infections, such as the common cold, flu, bronchitis and pneumonia, especially in winters.
Vitamin D helps maintain bone health by improving the body’s absorption of calcium and bone metabolism. Its deficiency increases the risk of developing bone diseases like osteoporosis and sarcopenia (muscle loss). Bone and lower back pack can be symptoms of vitamin D deficiency. Low bone mineral density is an indication that your bones have lost calcium and other minerals. This places older adults, especially females, at an increased risk of fractures. The causes of muscle pain are often difficult to pinpoint. However, vitamin D deficiency may be a potential cause. The vitamin D receptor is present in nerve cells called nociceptors, which sense pain. This vitamin may also be involved in your body’s pain-signalling pathways which may play a role in chronic pain.
Slow wound healing after any injury may be also a sign that the vitamin D levels are too low. This may be because vitamin D increases the production of compounds that are crucial for forming new skin as part of the wound-healing process, controls inflammation and addresses infections which is important for fast and proper healing.
Obesity is risk factor for vitamin D deficiency. Studies have found possible link between low vitamin D status and both belly fat and increased weight, although these effects were more pronounced in males. Some research has also shown to tie low vitamin D levels to alopecia areata, an autoimmune disease characterised by severe hair loss.
Vitamin D is also thought to be a contributor to seasonal affective disorder like depression. Its levels have been shown to affect the amount of serotonin and dopamine (happy hormones or feel-good hormones) produced in the central nervous system. While the correlation between lower serum vitamin D levels and seasonal depression exists, it is important to note that there are many causes of depression such as chemical imbalances and other brain dysfunctions as well as a wide range of severity for mood disorders. Vitamin D has not been proven effective in the prevention, treatment, or symptom management of moderate and severe mood disorders. However, in mild cases, its supplementation has shown promise as a treatment and prevention option. In mild cases of seasonal depression, vitamin D supplementation demonstrates improvements in daily mood, fatigue, and other symptoms.
Vitamin D deficiency is surprisingly common, but the symptoms are often subtle and nonspecific. So it may be hard to know whether you have a deficiency or some other health condition. If you’re experiencing frequent infections or illness without any known cause, its therefore best to speak with a healthcare professional and get your blood Vitamin D levels checked. If you have insufficient or deficient in vitamin D, the best way to achieve optimal serum vitamin D levels is through a combination of dietary intake of vitamin D, sun exposure, and Vitamin D3 supplementation. Get outside for 10-30 minutes per day. Enjoy some sunshine by going on a walk or engage in some outdoor activity. Eat a variety of vitamin D rich foods. Incorporating some of the foods into your diet, including fortified milks, cereals, soy milk, egg yolks, oily fishes and juices etc. may help.
(The author is a Doctor of Medicine. All views and opinions are the author’s own.)
