Vitamin D deficiency can be hazardous to your long- and short-term health. Here’s what you need to know about this common condition and how to spot it.
Vitamin D deficiency is remarkably common. It’s believed that 42 percent of US adults have too little Vitamin D in their bodies. A lack of Vitamin D can have many short-term and long-term effects on your health. To help you understand vitamin D deficiency better, we’ll explain what it is, the most common signs of vitamin D deficiency, and how to test for it in this introductory guide.
Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin that helps your body absorb and retain calcium and phosphorus. It plays a substantial role in maintaining the health of your bones, nervous system, and immune system. Vitamin D deficiency occurs when you don’t have enough of this vitamin in your body. This can happen for any number of reasons, from not soaking in enough sun to taking certain medications like laxatives, seizure control drugs, and steroids.
Are you worried you may have vitamin D deficiency? Here are the three most common signs:
Bone and muscle pain
Fatigue
Low mood
You can find a full list of symptoms here.
The main symptoms of a vitamin D deficiency are broad and associated with a wide range of conditions. This can make diagnosing a deficiency difficult. If you suspect you have a vitamin D deficiency, the best way to confirm your hunch is to have your vitamin D levels tested either at home or at your doctor’s office. A vitamin D test will gauge the amount of vitamin D present in your blood. If levels come back lower than 12 ng/mL, this indicates a deficiency.
If you want to test for vitamin D deficiency quickly, easily, and from the comfort of home, RxHomeTest makes it possible with our vitamin D home test. Using our home test kits is simple. Just order, wait for your kit to arrive, collect your samples, ship them off for free, and in less than a week, you’ll receive a detailed report from our world-class physicians. Then, you can discuss the results with your primary care doctor and, if needed, receive proper treatment. Shop our tests today and take your health into your own hands!
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