Do You Have A Vitamin D Deficiency?

I did and I didn’t know it until, thank goodness, my internist routinely ran a test. Most don’t and it’s simple . Known as the sunshine drug, Vitamin D plays a critical role in your overall mental and physical health.

As a fat soluble vitamin, which is created by sun exposure (which we are all avoiding) it’s an essential element in helping your body use the calcium and phosphorus from your food. It also regulates normal cellular differentiation to help prevent cancer and helps insulin secretion. So what happens when you don’t get enough Vitamin D because we all don’t want too much sun. A lot!  Deficiency symptoms can range from depression, chronic fatigue, weight loss, diabetes, heart disease, a higher likelihood of some types of cancers, stroke and osteoporosis.

And, if you are a vegetarian, you should know that  type of diet can sometimes be low in vitamin D because it is commonly found in foods such as egg yolk, fish, fish oil, some cheese, beef, liver and some types of grain.

If you haven’t scheduled your annual check-up, go ahead and make sure you ask your doctor to check your levels. I started on a closely monitored regimen and the bounce is really back in my step.

-The Brunette