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Health

18th Feb 2018

Here’s how you can tell if you have Vitamin D deficiency

These are the signs.

Laura Holland

These are the signs.

Vitamin D helps with a lot of things in the body, but particularly helps with the absorption of calcium, the growth of bones and cells and also with the reduction of inflammation.

You can take Vitamin D supplements and also eat the right kind of food to make sure you’re not deficient and exposure to sun is also a great way to stimulate Vitamin D production in the skin.

However during winter, and generally in Ireland, we don’t get a lot of sun so chances are we could be deficient. There are also other causes such as breast-feeding babies for prolonged periods of time and being obese.

There are a few tell-tale signs that you might have a deficiency.

According to Healthline, there are:

  • difficulty thinking clearly
  • bone pain
  • frequent bone fractures
  • muscle weakness
  • soft bones that may result in deformities
  • unexplained fatigue

Foods that are rich in Vitamin D are fatty fish, meat such as beef, cheese, eggs and vegetables like mushrooms. Some other foods are fortified with Vitamin D such as milk, cereals and juices.

Your doctor would be able to diagnose whether or not you have a deficiency.

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