What causes low vitamin D in females?

Vitamin D deficiency is most commonly caused by a lack of exposure to sunlight. Some disorders can also cause the deficiency. The most common cause is lack of exposure to sunlight, usually when the diet is deficient in vitamin D, but certain disorders can also cause the deficiency.

What does low vitamin D mean for a woman?

Getting enough, but not too much, vitamin D is needed to keep your body functioning well. Vitamin D helps with strong bones and may help prevent some cancers. Symptoms of vitamin D deficiency can include muscle weakness, pain, fatigue and depression.

Is vitamin D deficiency serious?

If left untreated over time, vitamin D deficiency can lead to serious bone disorders. For example, severe and long-term vitamin D deficiency may result in rickets or osteomalacia.

What medical conditions cause low vitamin D?

Epidemiological studies have shown that 25OHD deficiency is closely associated with common chronic diseases such as bone metabolic disorders, tumors, cardiovascular diseases, and diabetes. 25OHD deficiency is also a risk factor for neuropsychiatric disorders and autoimmune diseases.

Does low vitamin D cause weight gain?

The bottom line. A vitamin D deficiency is unlikely to cause weight gain. However, it may cause other health problems or unpleasant symptoms, which are worth avoiding. You can maintain adequate vitamin D levels through a combination of limited sun exposure, a vitamin-D-rich diet, and taking vitamin D supplements.

14 Signs Of Vitamin D Deficiency

What happens if your vitamin D is too low?

Vitamin D deficiency can lead to a loss of bone density, which can contribute to osteoporosis and fractures (broken bones). Severe vitamin D deficiency can also lead to other diseases. In children, it can cause rickets. Rickets is a rare disease that causes the bones to become soft and bend.

What low vitamin D feels like?

Feeling tired can stem from a number of causes, one of which may be vitamin D deficiency. Unlike more visible causes like stress, depression, and insomnia, vitamin D deficiency is often overlooked as a potential cause of fatigue. One study in 480 older adults linked vitamin D deficiency with fatigue symptoms ( 12 ).

Does vitamin D affect sleep?

Research links vitamin D levels to sleep quality. In fact, several studies associate low levels of vitamin D in your blood to a higher risk of sleep disturbances, poorer sleep quality and reduced sleep duration ( 9 , 10 , 11 ).

Can low vitamin D cause hormonal imbalance?

Without it, you can experience hormonal imbalances such as: Estrogen imbalance. A deficiency in vitamin D can lead to lower estrogen levels, which can cause depression, hot flashes, mood swings, and much more.

Can lack of vitamin D cause anxiety?

Research indicates that there is a strong link between vitamin D deficiency and anxiety as well as depression. Individuals struggling with a mental illness may turn to problematic behavior to mask the pain.

Does vitamin D affect hair?

Vitamin D is metabolized in the skin by keratinocytes. These are skin cells that process keratin, a protein in hair, nails, and skin. When the body doesn't have enough vitamin D, keratinocytes in hair follicles have trouble regulating hair growth and shedding.

Does vitamin D deficiency affect menstruation?

It has been reported that low vitamin D concentrations co-occur with disturbed menstrual cycles [13]. In this study, it has been found that women with oligomenorrhoea and amenorrhoea are characterized by significantly lower vitamin D concentration than women with regular cycles.

Can low vitamin D affect estrogen levels?

Estrogen imbalance: Vitamin D deficiency may lead to lowered estrogen levels, which can cause depression, hot flashes, mood swings and more.

Can menopause cause vitamin D deficiency?

In addition, estrogen increases the activity of the enzyme responsible for activating vitamin D ⁽³⁴⁾ and so declining estrogen levels during the menopausal transition could lead to symptoms of vitamin D deficiency.

How long does it take to recover from vitamin D deficiency?

“If you put people on 2,000-4,000 [milligrams] of vitamin D based on what their deficient value was, you can usually get them corrected in four to six weeks, which is when you are really going to need the vitamin D.

How can I raise my vitamin D levels quickly?

How quickly will vitamin D levels rise?

“Adding an over-the-counter vitamin D supplement can make improvements in just three to four months' time. Vitamin D with a strength of 1000-2000 international units daily is the recommended dose for most adults,” Dr. Ropte says.

Which fruit is rich in vitamin D?

Orange. There are limited Vitamin D fruits. Around 75% of the people worldwide are either allergic to dairy products or are lactose intolerant, and some of them are vegan. So, orange or orange juice is the best option with vitamin D and other nutrients such as calcium.

How can I check my vitamin D levels at home?

At-home tests typically have you prick and squeeze a finger to collect a smaller blood sample. It's easier to measure 25-OH D because it lasts longer in the bloodstream, around 14 days, and it's also easier to detect changes in 25-OH D levels that are associated with vitamin D deficiency.

How does vitamin D affect hormones?

High blood levels of vitamin D linked to reduced estrogen – and potentially lower breast cancer risk. Can taking daily vitamin D supplements decrease sex-hormone levels and thereby potentially reduce the risk of breast cancer in older women?

How much vitamin D does a woman need?

A: The upper tolerable limit is 4,000 international units (IU) daily, and the recommended amount for women 14 to 70 is 600 IU per day. Women 71 and older should aim for 800 IU per day.

Does low vitamin D cause weightloss?

Getting enough vitamin D can keep your hormone levels in check and may help enhance weight loss and decrease body fat. In turn, losing weight can increase vitamin D levels and help you maximize its other benefits, such as maintaining strong bones and protecting against illness ( 29 , 30 ).

Does low vitamin D cause joint pain?

A vitamin D deficiency can affect both physical and mental health, but many people have low levels of vitamin D without realizing. The physical symptoms of a deficiency may include muscle pain in the joints, including rheumatoid arthritis (RA) pain, which often occurs in the knees, legs, and hips.

Does low vitamin D cause headaches?

To gauge the potential link between vitamin D levels and headaches, researchers divided the population into quartiles by their vitamin D levels and compared the headache risk among the groups. They found that not only were those with the lowest vitamin D levels twice as likely to report chronic headaches.

Does vitamin D affect mood?

Vitamin D may regulate mood and reduce depression

Research has shown that vitamin D might play an important role in regulating mood and decreasing the risk of depression. A review of 7,534 people found that those experiencing negative emotions who received vitamin D supplements noticed an improvement in symptoms.