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1 in 4 Americans are vitamin D deficient – Find out if you could be
Are you vitamin D deficient? Odds are, someone in your family is. A recent study of over 70,000 participants found that one in four either had a moderate or severe vitamin D deficiency. Thats not all: 40% had a mere insufficiency �which is less to worry about than a deficiency, but still not ideal.
Put together, that makes well over half of Americans projected to lack sufficient vitamin D. But how would you know? The super supplement may be the only one worth taking, scientists say. But before you empty your piggy bank on the drugstore counter, youd best brush up on the essential signs you might have a vitamin D deficiency or insufficiency and what you could do before you start taking supplements, in order to reduce your chance of being at risk of bad health.
Vitamin D deficiency is surprisingly prevalent in the US
Based on analysis of data from nearly 72,000 people, researchers found that the rates of severe vitamin D deficiency and moderate vitamin D deficiency were�2.6% and 22.0% respectively. Together, that makes almost 25%, or one in four.
But the rate of deficiency isnt evenly spread across socio-economic, ethnic, age, and gender groups.
Black Americans are at greater risk than the average American. Similarly, women and people aged 20-29 experience higher rates of vitamin D deficiency than average. Less surprisingly, rates spike during winter �all the more reason to keep an eye on how much youre getting as summer draws to a close.
Vitamin D plays a vital role in bone strength. Being deficient puts you at greater risk of rickets and osteomalacia, aka soft bone disease.
But it doesnt end there. According to the reports introductory paragraphs, theres evidence associating a vitamin D deficiency with infection, cancer, diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular disease, and autoimmune disease.
Most alarmingly, perhaps, is the strong association between vitamin D status and mortality rate from covid-19. Its a global health issue, warn the reports authors. And its usually linked to insufficient exposure to sunlight and insufficient consumption of vitamin D-rich foods.
How to tell if you are vitamin D deficient or insufficient
There are several possible causes of vitamin D deficiency, according to Yale Medicine. Some are controllable. Some arent. They include:
- Not getting enough sunlight
- Having darker skin pigmentation African Americans tend to have lower levels of vitamin D
- Being malnourished
- Having kidney or liver failure these organs process vitamin D, so if they dont work adequately, you could be deficient even if you get a lot of dietary vitamin D
- Taking certain medications
- Certain types of cancer, such as lymphoma
- Having a family history of vitamin D deficiency or childhood rickets.
Symptoms of vitamin D deficiency and the things you could look out for when trying to work out if you might be deficient include:
- Muscle and/or bone pain
- An increased sensitivity to pain generally
- Muscle weakness in the upper arms or thighs
- Having a history of broken bones this is not so much a symptom as a risk factor, but it’s worth knowing how many people in your family have broken bones, and how many times, as this may be relevant to your situation
- And in extreme cases, having bowed legs.
However, most people with vitamin D deficiency dont notice any symptoms. Symptoms may be mild, and many of the more common symptoms of vitamin D deficiency can also indicate other conditions or disorders.
Because there are often no symptoms, it can be very difficult to identify and diagnose a vitamin D deficiency. If youre experiencing bone or muscle pain, and you tell your doctor, they may order a blood test. They may also ask you about a family history of rickets, osteoporosis, or bone fractures.
