VITAMIN D: WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOUR BODY DOES NOT HAVE ENOUGH OF IT?

Good Sources Of Vitamin D

Here is a good news for cheese lovers- cheese is an organic source of vitamin D. Other natural sources are:

• tuna
• salmon
• beef liver
• egg yolk

Fortified Food

In the U.S, vitamins are artificially added in some food items which are called to be fortified. For example- milk, breakfast cereals, orange juice etc- can be often found to contain vitamin D and it is always mentioned on the nutrition label what foods contain what vitamins.

Other Sources

Breast milk does not contain enough vitamin D that is needed for an infant’s healthy growth, therefore breastfed babies require vitamin D  supplements. This can be easily done as vitamin D drops are accessible over-the-counter (OTC). Also, the formula that is used to feed babies also has enough vitamin D.

Excess Vitamin D

Excess of anything is bad and it holds true for vitamin D also. The body cannot prepare too much vitamin D from exposure to the sun; it is usually the result of supplements. It is rare though and is known to occur when someone takes very high doses for a long period of time (like over a year).

Don’t Take Too Much

As long as a person is not exceeding the intake of 4,000 IU daily it is fine but daily intake of more than this can lead to symptoms like:

• nausea
• constipation
• vomiting
• weakness
• loss of appetite
• weight loss
• kidney damage

Some of these are explored ahead.

Nausea, Vomiting and Poor Appetite

An excess dose of vitamin D can lead to an excess of calcium levels in the body but elevated calcium levels are not necessarily responsible for nausea, vomiting and poor appetite. In a study, it was found that people taking high doses of Vitamin D lost their appetite and felt nauseated.