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Do You Have a Vitamin D Deficiency? Answer These 5 Questions to Find Out
It might be time to get more of the sunshine stuff.
You’ve probably heard about vitamin D, the nutrient du jour. The rock-star mineral has more tricks up its sleeve than the new iPhone 7; it can strengthen bones, keep blood pressure in check, protect your ticker, help you shed a few pounds, and may even protect against certain cancers, including breast, ovarian, and colon. (Damn, Gina!) But worryingly, most of us aren’t getting enough. According to Harvard University, an estimated one billion people worldwide have sub-par levels. And it may be even harder to get your fill in the coming months, since shorter days means your body has less time to manufacture the nutrient from the sun.
The Institute of Medicine has set the recommended dietary allowance (RDA) of vitamin D at 600 international units (IU), but many experts believe that's too low. “Women should take in up to 5,000 IU of vitamin D a day,” says Michael F. Holick, M.D., Ph.D., professor of medicine, physiology, and biophysics at Boston University Medical Center and author of The Vitamin D Solution.
Problem is, many don’t know they’re not hitting their vitamin D goals, since symptoms of low levels can fly under the radar or masquerade as signs of other illnesses. So how do you know if you’re lacking? If you reply “OMG, that’s me!” to any of the questions below, ask your doctor for a simple blood test to check your levels.
If you’re constantly mopping your brow in the morning (even though the most strenuous activity you’ve done is hit the snooze button), flagging D levels could be to blame. “A sweaty head is one of the first, classic signs of vitamin D deficiency,” says Holick. Although diet makes up only a small amount of our intake, noshing D-rich foods like salmon, egg yolks, and canned tuna can help boost levels—and even keep you drier.
Can’t nod off even when you’ve cut back on caffeine and banned your phone from the bedroom? Researchers from Louisiana State University found that more than half of the patients who came to their sleep clinic were D-deficient.
Along with calcium, vitamin D is critical to a strong skeleton. When you’re in short supply, your body leaches calcium from the bones and shunts it into the bloodstream, leaving you at a higher risk for fractures. Holick’s research shows that being low in D can even speed up or worsen osteoporosis. This especially applies to runners: A study in the Journal of Foot and Ankle Surgery found that people who participate in high-impact activities may need more D than average peeps to prevent stress fractures.
The nutrient is essential to keeping your immune system humming, so if you’re constantly sniffling and sneezing, don’t just stock up on tissues. A study in the Archives of Internal Medicine found that adults who have low D levels are more likely to report having had a recent cold, cough, or upper respiratory infection. This may be why people are more flu-prone in the winter, when vitamin D from the sunshine is minimal. Holick recommends sitting a foot away from a Sperti lamp—an FDA-approved lamp that emits UVB rays that generate vitamin D naturally in your body—for a few minutes each day.
The blues and a shortage of vitamin D often go hand in hand. The Vitamin D Council suspects the mineral may work in areas of the brain linked to depression or impact mood-elevating hormones like serotonin.
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