Vitamins are essential to a person’s well-being as your body is made up of trillions of cells that require nutrients such as vitamins to function properly.

Vitamin D is an especially important as it enables the body to absorb calcium properly. Along with vitamin D, calcium helps keep bones strong and healthy which is especially important for children whose bones are still growing. A lack of vitamin D is actually very common so let’s take a look at vitamin D deficiency symptoms. Mild deficiency symptoms can include general aches and pains but more severe deficiency symptoms are things such as rickets and osteomalacia. Certain people are more prone to low vitamin D levels such as pregnant women, children under 5, people over 65 and people with certain liver or kidney diseases.

Of course prevention is better than cure so let’s look at some of the reasons why people have low levels of vitamin D and how you can prevent them. The number one reason for vitamin D deficiency is lack of sunlight. 90% of the vitamin of our vitamin D is made in our own bodies with the aid of sunlight. Of course it stands to reason that if lack of sunlight is the reason for low vitamin D levels then you should get out in the sun more however you do not want to go too far in the other direction because it is well documented that over exposure to the sun greatly increases the risk of skin cancer. Around 2-3 exposures per week in the summer months will suffice and provide your body with enough vitamin D for the rest of the year.

Vitamin D can also be increased though other means such as supplements and certain foods that contain it. Vitamin D dosage when it comes to supplements will vary depending on how severely the individual is lacking. Some foods that contain vitamin D include – fish such as sardines, pilchards, herrings; egg yolk and fortified foods such as margarine and cereals. A deficiency of vitamin D is usually diagnosed with a simple blood test. It is also possible to treat the deficiency via injection. This lasts for about 6 months and is a very quick and easy treatment. This is usually for people who don’t like taking medicine orally and would not take their tablets.

It is easy to overlook deficiency of this vital vitamin as a cause of medical symptoms but regular visits to the doctor will make sure you’re aware of your vitamin D levels. Luckily low levels of vitamin D are very easy to diagnose and treat so there is no need to suffer for extended periods of time.

Jack Hann explores the various health benefits of vitamins, minerals, and many other health supplements. Learn more about vitamin d dosage, vitamin D side effects or about other subjects related to health supplements by visiting his website.