Chronic Fatigue-Fibromyalgia Survival Guide

POSSIBLE CAUSES

• Nutrient deficiencies are usually the result of dietary inadequacy, impaired absorption and use, increased requirement, or increased excretion.
• A vitamin D deficiency can occur when usual intake is lower than recommended levels over time, exposure to sunlight is limited, the kidneys cannot convert vitamin D to its active form, or absorption of vitamin D from the digestive tract is inadequate.
• Vitamin D-deficient diets are associated with milk allergy, lactose intolerance, and strict vegetarianism.

SYMPTOMS

• Rickets and osteomalacia are the classical vitamin D deficiency diseases. In children, vitamin D deficiency causes rickets, a disease characterized by a failure of bone tissue to properly mineralize, resulting in soft bones and skeletal deformities. Rickets was first described in the mid-17th century by British researchers. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, German physicians noted that consuming 1-3 teaspoons of cod liver oil per day could reverse rickets. In the 1920s and prior to identification of the structure of vitamin D and its metabolites, biochemist Harry Steenbock patented a process to impart antirachitic activity to foods. The process involved the addition of what turned out to be precursor forms of vitamin D followed by exposure to UV radiation. The fortification of milk with vitamin D has made rickets a rare disease in the United States. However, rickets is still reported periodically, particularly among African American infants and children. A 2003 report from Memphis, for example, described 21 cases of rickets among infants, 20 of whom were African American [.

• Prolonged exclusive breastfeeding without the AAP-recommended vitamin D supplementation is a significant cause of rickets, particularly in dark-skinned infants breastfed by mothers who are not vitamin D replete.

• Additional causes of rickets include extensive use of sunscreens and placement of children in daycare programs, where they often have less outdoor activity and sun exposure . Rickets is also more prevalent among immigrants from Asia, Africa, and the Middle East, possibly because of genetic differences in vitamin D metabolism and behavioral differences that lead to less sun exposure.

• In adults, vitamin D deficiency can lead to osteomalacia, resulting in weak muscles and bones . Symptoms of bone pain and muscle weakness can indicate inadequate vitamin D levels, but such symptoms can be subtle and go undetected in the initial stages.

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Read more:

Vitamin D is Not Just For the Bones

Sources of Vitamin D

Groups At Risk For Vitamin D Deficiency

Vitamin D Intake And Status

Vitamin D and Health

• Vitamin D Deficiency and Osteoporosis (low Calcium is just one part of the problem)
  
• Vitamin D and Cancer
• Vitamin D Deficiency And Other Conditions

Health Risks from Excessive Vitamin D

Interactions with Medications

BBC Articles: Vitamin D as Protection and/or Treatment Against SeriousIllnesses like cancer, diabetes, chronic lung problems, etc)

Vitamin D A Super Nutrient???Dr. Julian Whittaker Thinks So

Click here to view the Vitamin D3 (Cholecaliferol) products featured here.