Vitamin D Deficiency Symptoms – Hair Loss, Mental Health, Seizures

Vitamin D is often known as the sunshine vitamin because our bodies can produce vitamin D through sun exposure. However, as people spend more time indoors and eat a diet rich in refined carbohydrates, more and more people are suffering from diseases related to Vitamin D deficiency.

 

Epilepsy

As someone who has epilepsy, I had a personal interest in learning more about how vitamin D levels effect the seizure threshold. As it turns out, seizures can be triggered by a low vitamin D level. Unfortunately, this is a downward spiral. Having a seizure uses up even more vitamin D. Therefore, your seizure threshold is reduced after having one. The current treatment is through anti-epileptic medications. Anti-convulsants interfere with the body’s production and usage of vitamin D. Once you are on anti-convulsants, it is very difficult to restore your vitamin D levels to normal.

According to the Epilepsy Foundation, supplementation with vitamin D can help to improve seizure control. Through a study published in 2012, 10 in 13 patients improved their seizure control with vitamin D supplementation. Therefore, if you suffer from seizures, it is a good idea to look into increasing your vitamin D levels.

 

Alopecia Areata and Alopecia Universalis

For people who experience alopecia areata and alopecia universalis, there is often a vitamin D deficiency. In a study conducted by the Indian Dermatology Journal online, it found that severe alopecia areata patients showed significantly lower levels of vitamin D compared to those with mild alopecia. Alopecia Areata patients have lower levels of 25-hydroxy vitamin D than healthy subjects.

Type 1 Diabetes

Researchers have found children with type 1 diabetes are more likely to suffer from a vitamin D deficiency compared to the general population. The recommendation for daily vitamin D supplementation in Finland was reduced from 4,000-5,000 IU/day in 1964 to 400 IU/day in 1992. During this time frame, the type 1 Diabetes patients increased by 350% in children 1-4 years of age. It increased 100% in individuals 5-9 years of age and 50% in those 10-14 years of age. Authorities required that the milk be fortified with vitamin D2 in 2006. At this time the incidence of type 1 Diabetes plateaued and began to decrease. This suggests that there is a link between Diabetes and vitamin D deficiency.

Dementia and Vitamin D Deficiency

A study published in August 2014 in the journal Neurology discovered that a severe vitamin D deficiency in older individuals is associated with some forms of dementia, including Alzheimer’s. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia. It involves a decline in thinking, behavior and memory.

The study analyzed more than 1,600 people age 65 or older that didn’t have any symptoms at the beginning of the study. Compared with people with normal vitamin D levels, those with lower levels of the vitamin had a 53% increased risk of developing dementia. Individuals who were severely deficient in vitamin D had a 125% increased risk of developing dementia. The researchers found that people with lower levels of vitamin D were 70% more likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease.

Researchers noted that the study was observational. This means that there isn’t a direct cause and effect relationship with vitamin D. However, vitamin D may help to clear plaques in the brain that are linked to dementia.

 

Prostate Cancer and Low Vitamin D

A study published in May 2014 in the journal Clinical Cancer Research discovered a link between low vitamin D levels in the blood and aggressive prostate cancer.

The researchers observed the levels of 667 men between the ages of 40-79 undergoing biopsies. They noticed a strong connection between vitamin D and prostate cancer in African-American men.

It is important to note that the findings were observational. However, to help reduce your risk potential of prostate cancer, you may want to ensure that you get adequate amounts of vitamin D.

 

Vitamin D and Risk of Schizophrenia

Schizophrenia is a severe brain disorder which affects 1.1% of American adults. The symptoms of schizophrenia include hallucinations, incoherent speech, withdrawal from others and difficulty focusing or paying attention. The symptoms often appear between the ages of 16 and 30.

Individuals who have low vitamin D levels may be twice as likely to be diagnosed with schizophrenia. Researchers in a review published in October 2014 in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism reviewed findings from 19 observational studies that analyzed the relationship between schizophrenia and vitamin D deficiency. They found a link between the vitamin D deficiency and schizophrenia.

More clinical trials are needed to determine whether vitamin D treatment can prevent schizophrenia. However, it is a great idea to ensure that you are meeting your daily vitamin D requirements on your own.

 

Vitamin D Deficiency and Heart Disease

Many studies have indicated a connection between low vitamin D blood levels and heart disease complications. A review published in January 2014 in Circulation Research cites research that suggests vitamin D levels are a potential culprit for health problems that are related to heart disease including atherosclerosis, hypertension, diabetes and stroke. However, science hasn’t established if supplementation will reduce the risks.

Sticking with a diet that is high in vitamin D and exercising can help you raise your vitamin D levels. This may reduce your risk of heart disease.

 

How Much Vitamin D Do You Need?

The recommended daily allowance of vitamin D is 600 international units daily. This is according to the National Institute of Health. A few minutes outdoors in the sunshine with your skin exposed can help to meet some of those needs.

There are many foods that are rich in vitamin D. Fortified dairy, egg yolk, beef liver and fatty fish, like salmon and canned tuna are a great source of vitamin D.

Vitamin D supplements may be an option for you if you can’t get regular sun exposure and don’t have access to vitamin D rich food sources. Work with a registered dietitian or your primary care provider to discover whether a high dose of vitamin D or a low dose will address your health concerns.

 

9 thoughts on “Vitamin D Deficiency Symptoms – Hair Loss, Mental Health, Seizures”

  1. Hi,

    First of all thank you for sharing, I definitely agree with you about how important the vitamin D is. I’d prefer to increase my levels of it naturally, so I have a question regarding to sun exposure, which time of the day is better? Any recommendation about that? I’ll thank you for the answer.

    Greetings,
    Rique.

  2. Hi Melinda. Thanks for an informative article. I’m happy to know that our bodies can manufacture enough vitamin D simply by adequate exposure to sunshine. Sunshine is the moderator of all life on this planet, but as you point out, with the modern lifestyles that many of us are living, we simply are not receiving the benefits that being outside in the sun brings. This is clearly evidenced by the rise in the rates of the disease’s that you mention. Hence the need for supplements or for adding more foods rich in vitamin D to our diets. Cheers, Andrew

    1. My recommendation is to simply add more vitamin D rich foods to your diet. You can’t count on a sunny day, but it is better to get your vitamins from food than supplements.

  3. wow, this is very interesting and informative article from yours, I am now aware what’s the beneficial of having vitamin D from sunrise by exposing outdoors, and what are the causes of diseases involved when we are lack of vitamin D, and I am now also aware what kind of foods that has rich in vitamin D. thank you for sharing

  4. Melinda, I too believe that vitamin D is very important.  Years ago, a blood test showed that I was extremely deficient in Vitamin D so I have then started supplementing with this great vitamin.  I was told that some people’s bodies are unable to convert the sun into Vitamin D, have you ever heard of this?  

    1. I think that some people’s bodies break down when they are nutrient deficient and their ability to convert the sun into vitamin D may get compromised. I think when they fix their nutrition they should be able to convert the sun into vitamin D. 

  5. Hello thanks for sharing this interesting article.i wasn’t aware that vitamin D can also be gotten from sunshine.and am also happy that there are some supplement can can also be taken for that too.this is an evidence that  the rise in the rates of the disease’s that you mention is dangerous without vitamin D in the body. So there is need for supplements or for adding more foods rich in vitamin D to our diets.

  6. Hello Melinda,

    Good article and read covering the importance of having sufficient Vitamin D!

    Thanks for highlighting the various diseases that could be related to vitamin D deficiency. Yes, I agree that most of us need to have an adequate amount of Vitamin D into our bodies whether it is through sun exposure or supplementation.

    I have also observed family members that suffers from dementia, in which I feel they could benefit from this by getting more sun exposure and adopting a vitamin D rich diet.

    Could you possibly recommend any specific types of foods drinks rich in vitamin D that could be added into our diets? Many thanks and cheers!

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