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42% Of Americans Are Deficient In Vitamin D. Are You At Risk?
If So, What Can You Do About It?
Vitamin D is commonly known as the “sunshine vitamin.” It’s critical for a range of bodily processes — yet much of the US population isn’t getting enough of it.
From healthy bones to a boosted immune system, vitamin D helps ensure your body stays healthy in several ways.
Getting enough vitamin D can be challenging. Consuming it through food isn’t always reliable. Plus, while sunlight exposure encourages your body to produce vitamin D, exposing your skin to sunlight has risks.
Working an office job, having a darker skin tone, living in a cooler climate, and certain medical conditions can all contribute to low vitamin D stores.
Find out about vitamin D deficiency and how you can avoid it.
Is vitamin D deficiency common?
Vitamin D deficiency is more common than you might think. Globally, studies suggest roughly one billion¹ people are vitamin D deficient.
In the US alone, 42%² of adults are deficient, while 50% of children aged between one and five and 70% of children aged between six and 11 have low vitamin D stores.
The statistics are even higher for people with dark skin. Nearly 63% of Hispanic adults and 82% of African American adults are vitamin D deficient.
Despite high rates, many people don’t know they are vitamin D deficient. This is because the deficiency can mimic other conditions, and general tiredness and symptoms often appear many months or even years after you become deficient.
Why is vitamin D important?
Vitamin D’s primary role in the body is to help you absorb and maintain calcium and phosphorus. These nutrients are essential for bone growth.
Vitamin D has also been shown to reduce cancer cell growth, inflammation, and your chance of developing infections.
A study in 2011, for example, found deficiency correlates with increased autoimmunity and susceptibility to infections.
Long-term vitamin D deficiency is also associated with a range of serious health conditions, including:
- Rickets: This condition is commonly associated with infants who do not get enough sunlight. It generally occurs in children and can cause skeletal deformities and soft bones.
- Osteomalacia: This condition is linked to severe vitamin D deficiency. Osteomalacia occurs in adults and is associated with weak and softened bones.
- Depression: Studies show people with low vitamin D levels are more than twice as likely to be diagnosed with depression. The cause is unknown, but some experts⁶ believe vitamin D alters hormones associated with mood regulation.
- Type 1 diabetes: Low vitamin D levels may play a role in type 1 diabetes. Studies have found vitamin D can reduce the risk of developing type 1 diabetes earlier in life. It can also improve glycemic control and insulin sensitivity in people who already have the condition.
- Asthma: The severity of asthma and increased inflammatory markers are linked to low vitamin D levels.
How can you tell if you’re vitamin D deficient?
It can be hard to know whether you’re deficient in vitamin D.
While there are some common symptoms, many mimic other illnesses, and deficiencies.
These include:
- Fatigue
- Muscle weakness, aches, and cramps
- Mood changes
- Joint pain (particularly in your back)
- Bone loss
How to get enough vitamin D
You’ll need to consider a few key vitamin D sources to ensure you’re getting enough.
Some foods naturally contain vitamin D, while others are fortified with it. As we’ve seen, the body also produces vitamin D when the skin is exposed to UV rays.
Try these methods for upping your vitamin D intake:
Take a supplement
Supplementing is the most reliable and widely recommended method of ensuring you maintain healthy vitamin D levels.
We recommend Good Health Naturally Vitamin D3 (4000 IU)
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Safe sun exposure
Skin exposure is another simple and effective way to encourage your body to produce vitamin D.
When you expose your skin to sunlight, the sun’s UV rays interact with a skin protein known as 7-DHC. This is naturally converted into vitamin D.
Ensuring you don’t damage your skin or put yourself at risk of skin cancer during exposure is essential. Consider the UV index in your climate before heading outside.
When the UV index is at three or above in sunny climates or during the summer months, incidental skin exposure for a few minutes each day is likely enough to produce sufficient vitamin D levels.
People with darker skin tones need more sun exposure. In these cases, supplementation (particularly in climates with less sunshine) will be more important.
Eat foods high in vitamin D
Some foods contain vitamin D, but few are reliably high in nutrients.
For this reason, it’s generally recommended to focus on supplements or sun exposure to maintain healthy stores rather than foods alone.
The following foods contain vitamin D:
- Mushrooms
- Fortified foods
- Egg yolks
- Some fish, including tuna and salmon
- Cod liver oil
Who is most at risk of vitamin D deficiency?
Without supplementing, access to sunlight is essential for vitamin D production. People with limited sun exposure have more risk of being deficient.
Office workers, people with darker skin tones, and people who live far from the equator are all at risk. Certain medical conditions can also play a role.
Risk factors for vitamin D deficiency include:
Working in an office
Working in an office during typical work hours means you may get limited sun exposure during the day. This means you may have a higher risk of developing vitamin D deficiency.
A systematic review in 2017 found occupations with a high risk of deficiency included:
- Shift workers
- Healthcare workers
- Indoor workers
Understandably, the review found outdoor workers had reduced risk.
If you work indoors, try taking walks outside during sunlight hours.
Making an effort to increase your sunlight exposure can be beneficial, and supplementation can also help.
People with darker skin tones
People with darker skin need more sun exposure to produce enough vitamin D. This is because the melanin pigment associated with darker skin tones can absorb UV radiation. Melanin pigment is useful in protecting you from skin damage, but it can also prevent vitamin D production.
Supplementation can be a good option for people with darker skin tones, especially for those who have limited access to sunlight.
Living in cool climates
Living far away from the equator, whether north or south, can increase your risk of vitamin D deficiency.
People who live in climates with limited sunshine hours should consider supplementation and get blood work done regularly — especially during winter.
IBD patients
Absorbing fat is challenging for people with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin, so absorption depends on your intestine’s ability to process fat.
A report found up to 70% of patients with IBD had insufficient vitamin D levels.
Other health conditions may also affect vitamin D absorption.
The lowdown
Vitamin D is critical for a range of bodily processes. It helps maintain bone health and immune function.
Vitamin D deficiency is associated with fatigue, muscle aches, and a range of serious health conditions. It affects roughly one billion people globally, but many are unaware they are deficient.
Supplementation is a quick and easy method to ensure you maintain healthy vitamin D levels.
Getting safe sun exposure is another way to ensure you maintain healthy vitamin D levels, but the length of exposure needed will vary depending on your location’s UV index. Take care when exposing your skin to the sun.
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