Causes of Vitamin D Deficiency

Dr Eyyüp Kenan Özok, an Internal Medicine Specialist, highlights the significance of consulting with a specialist and adhering to the treatment plan after diagnosis to alleviate any symptoms caused by vitamin D deficiency. He provides crucial information regarding this matter.

Scientific research conducted in recent years has shown that vitamin D deficiency is associated with many chronic health issues. These include common cancers, cardiovascular diseases, metabolic syndrome, and infectious and immune system diseases. Vitamin D has positive effects on calcium, phosphorus metabolism, and bone mineralization. If the body is deficient in this vitamin, it can lead to symptoms like bone and muscle pain, muscle weakness, dizziness, fatigue, spine pain, proximal muscle weakness, myopathy, skeletal deformities, and fractures in the pelvis, ribs, and legs. Other symptoms include imbalance, complaints related to low calcium, numbness, tingling, cramps, mood swings, insomnia, getting sick frequently, weight gain, exhaustion, and sweating in the head area.

Dr Eyyüp Kenan Özok has reminded us that the sun is the primary source of vitamin D. We can also obtain vitamin D from ergocalciferol (vitamin D2) found in plants and cholecalciferol (vitamin D3) found in animal tissues. Although foods contain lower levels of vitamin D, here are some of the foods that are richest in vitamin D:

• Oily fish (sardines, trout, tuna, herring, salmon, mackerel)
• Egg yolk, red meat and liver
• Animal products (D3) such as meat, fish, eggs, and milk fortified with vitamin D
• Wild mushrooms
• Products grown under UV light (D2)