Vitamin D is crucial for you because it is crucial for regulating the immune system as well as making sure that phosphorous and calcium get absorbed into the bloodstream. However, Vitamin D is crucial for a number of other reasons as well. Here they are:
Rickets is yet another disease which is caused by an insufficient amount of vitamin D. The reason for this is that calcium is not absorbed and therefore the bones soften. The softening of the bones is termed as rickets.
Many of us thrive on the diet rich in processed fast foods as we hardly get time to cook a wholesome meal for ourselves in this fast-paced schedule. Moreover, the junk foods hardly have anything to contribute to our body while the baked goods strip off all the essential nutrients. These are some of the prime reasons behind vitamin deficiency.
Even though that doesn't mean that it will leave your body impaired or lead to any disease, but it can prevent some organs from functioning properly. This is because vitamins are regarded as co-contributors for all the essential biochemical reactions within the body. Fatigue, shortness of breath, weight loss and irregular heartbeats are some of the well-known signs of vitamin deficiency, but you should be aware of the unusual vitamin-deficiency signs as well.
The key to avoiding such problems is to have a balanced meal every day.
In today's age, when we have become extremely prone to several life-threatening lifestyle diseases, full body health check-ups are the only way possible to ensure a healthy as well as happy life for us and our families.
Our full-time jobs and hectic schedules often force us to put our health on the back seat and nurture some of the deadliest diseases like diabetes and even cancer.
We can spot these diseases even before they occur if we go for regular full body check-ups.
A complete body check should be a must for everyone at least once in a year. You should get your body fully checked once every year. In this test, you can get each and every organ of your body examined to ensure a healthy life.
These tests also include thyroid test which helps in clearing your doubts about your thyroid gland which may be under or over performing. Keeping your blood pressure levels under check is also extremely important.
These tests allow you to understand the functioning of your liver by ascertaining the levels of your bilirubin, albumin and serum globulin levels. Knowing the functioning of your kidneys is also very important which is covered in these tests.
Keeping your cholesterol levels under check is also very important for having a healthy heart. This is ascertained in the Lipid profile test.
Iron deficiency is a wide-spread problem. This is often ignored by people but holds utmost importance to prevent the deadliest diseases. So, keeping this checked is very important.
Diabetes profile test also holds great significance in everyone’s life. This is one of the biggest health issues India is facing these days. You must keep your blood glucose levels under check to prevent this disease.
Vitamin lab tests help you check blood or urine levels of various vitamins, and also in diagnosing vitamin deficiencies. These tests are also vital for checking excess or overabundance of specific vitamins.
With the increasing amount of pollution in the environment, we are very prone to gather toxins in our body which have the potential of even leading to death. Getting this tested may help understand if you need to take ay preventive measures to stay safe.
Regular full body health check-ups are the need of the hour for each one of us as it is the only way possible in our busy schedule to ensure a long and healthy life.
Metabolic Bone Disease is a term used for various conditions of the bones that can be caused by a number of different disorders. Most of these disorders are developed due to nutritional deficiencies, defects in the bone metabolism procedure or due to hereditary defects in the skeletal structure. Conditions that fall under the category are osteoporosis, osteomalacia, rickets, Paget's disease, parathyroid conditions, chemotherapy induced bone loss and menopause induced bone loss.
Causes of Metabolic Bone Diseases
1. Imbalance in the level of calcium
Too much calcium or too little calcium can cause bone diseases. While the overabundance of calcium (hypercalcemia) in the body will lead to calculi formation, which can be harmul for the body, the lack of calcium (hypocalcemia) causes weakness, bone pain and restricted growth.
2. Deficiency of phosphorus
Low phosphorus in blood (hypophosphatemia) leads to softening of the bone tissue and bone loss. Osteomalacia is commonly caused by phosphorus deficiencies.
3. Deficiency of Vitamin D
Vitamin D is essential for the body to absorb calcium. Cells called osteoblasts need vitamin D in order to absorb calcium and secrete the bone tissue proteins. A deficiency of vitamin D can lead to a number of metabolic bone diseases like rickets and osteoporosis.
4. Over or under secretion of the parathyroid hormone
The parathyroid hormone (PTH) stimulates the secretion of an enzyme which converts the inactive circulatory form of vitamin D into its active usable form. The hormone can also increase the circulation of free or ionized calcium (Ca2+) which is not attached to proteins. Both underproduction and overproduction of the hormone causes skeletal problems.
Symptoms of Metabolic Bone Diseases
The symptoms of most of the Metabolic Bone Diseases are similar. They are:
1. A dull, throbbing pain in the bones is the most common symptom. The pain is frequent and lasts for a long amount of time but, unlike muscular pain, the exact region of bone pain cannot be specified.
2. Severe joint pains accompanied by stiffness and swelling of the joints. The patient experience pain during regular physical activities, especially during cold weather conditions.
3. Frequent fractures are caused by most bone diseases because the bone mineral density decreases drastically. Severe bone injury may be caused by mild trauma.
4. Defects in the bones can cause bowed out legs and a bent backbone.
5. A general feeling of exhaustion is often caused by bone diseases.
6. Kidney stones are an associated complication of metabolic bone diseases.
One of the most basic things that Vitamin B12 does in your body is to help it grow, by assisting in the production of new red blood cells and nerve cells, as you develop and get older. Besides taking care of the body’s growth, it also helps a person to stay sharp and fight off several diseases. Vitamin B12 benefits our mood, energy level, memory, heart, skin and hair. It also takes care of our digestive, nervous and cardiovascular systems.
Here, we have elucidated the benefits of Vitamin B12 in detail for you -
General well-being of the body
It benefits the central nervous system in many important ways:
It helps maintain the health of the nerve cells
It helps form the “myelin sheath”, which acts as a protective covering of nerves.
Conversely, this means that when Vitamin B12 levels are low, almost every cognitive function can suffer.
Good for the digestive system
Vitamin B12 is needed for digestive enzyme production. It helps in maintaining a healthy metabolism and in breaking down foods within the stomach. It also helps foster healthy bacteria within the gut environment.
Prevention of diseases
Vitamins are extremely important for proper functioning of various body systems. Vitamin D3 plays a very crucial role in proper functioning of bones and joints. Deficiency of this vitamin is quite common but can be identified and managed easily. Read on to know more about its functions, causes of deficiency, symptoms, and management.
Function: Vitamin D3 is essential for the absorption of calcium from the food that is consumed. A decrease in the amount of vitamin D3 leads to poor calcium absorption, resulting in thin, soft, brittle bones.
Causes: Some of the possible causes of vitamin D3 deficiency (and ways to manage them) are listed below:
Reduced intake: People with a strict vegan diet may be consuming reduced amounts of this important chemical. Most natural food sources are animal based including fish, fish oils, fortified milk, egg yolks and beef liver.
Limited sun exposure: People who spend a lot of time indoors are likely to have this deficiency. People who wear sunscreen constantly, wear long robes for religious reasons, live in the polar areas, upper/lower hemispheres are all prone to vitamin D3 deficiency.
Darker complexion: The body’s ability to make vitamin D3 when exposed to the sun is reduced if there is more melanin in the skin.
Obesity: Vitamin D is extracted from the blood by fat cells and people with BMI of more than 30 have a vitamin deficiency.
Symptoms: While some people may go completely asymptomatic with this condition, others could develop significant symptoms.
Bone pain and aches: When there is less calcium getting incorporated into the bones, pains and aches leading to fatigue are common.
Depression: The areas of the brain that regulate mood contain vitamin D receptors, and low levels of this vitamin can lead to depression. They are also at higher risk of developing cognitive conditions like schizophrenia, Alzheimer’s and dementia.
Gut problems: Vitamin D is fat soluble and in people with stomach conditions like Crohn’s or IBD, the gut functioning is altered and so vitamin D absorption is reduced.
Increased risk of heart disease: Both the risk of developing heart disease and the severity of the disease went up considerably when there is vitamin D deficiency. This is given their role in controlling inflammation and improving immune function.
Lesser chances of surviving cancer: In patients with colorectal cancer, lymphoma, and breast cancer, increasing vitamin D levels improved cancer prognosis by 4%. The chances of developing prostate cancer are also increased in patients with vitamin D3 deficiency.
Management: Providing the required amounts of vitamin D3 through diet and supplements is the best way to manage this. Check with your doctor to know the optimal levels and plan for replacement accordingly.
Vitamin C is a water soluble vitamin, which is essential for various functions and it is not produced or stored by the body, so it is important that the food contains adequate amount of it. It plays a vital role in heart, eyes, skin, and prenatal health and immunity. Long-term non-availability of vitamin C can lead to various symptoms, which though are not immediately threatening, can turn dangerous in the long run.
Are you aware of the importance of vitamin D in your body, and why you should keep away from vitamin D deficiency? Vitamin D, referred to as the sunshine vitamin, is produced by your body in response to your skin’s exposure to sunlight. It is found naturally in certain food items such as egg yolks, fish liver oils, and fish. Vitamin D is essential for strong bones as it helps your body in using calcium from your diet.
Causes of vitamin D deficiency
There are various reasons that lead to vitamin D deficiency. The most common ones are as follows:
Symptoms
• The primary symptoms of vitamin D deficiency include muscle weakness and pain in the bones.
• In some people, the symptoms are not prominent.
Management of vitamin D deficiency
It is recommended for you to consult a doctor regarding vitamin D deficiency in case you do not spend enough time in the sun, or when you always cover your skin by applying sunscreen, which restricts the production of vitamin D. You may need to take vitamin D supplements, as prescribed by the doctor.
Vitamins are essential micronutrients which the body requires, though in small amounts, for optimal health. These chemicals play crucial roles, for instance, vitamin K is essential for optimal blood clotting process. It also has multiple other benefits. More details about the functions, benefits and sources are listed below:
Functions/Benefits:
Vitamin K is found naturally in many foods and the daily dose required for an adult is about 120 to 150 mcg/day. Therefore supplementation is usually not required.
Supplements are to be avoided, especially by pregnant and/or nursing mothers and people with a history of stroke, heart disease, heart attack and blood clotting problems.
During pregnancy, it is essential to have a wholesome nutrition to ensure the growing baby receives a wholesome nutrition too. Extremely essential are some minerals and vitamins which have a significant role in the development of the baby. The skeletal development, for instance, is one such crucial event, and the onus is on the mother to ensure the required ingredients in the required quantity are reaching the growing fetus.
Read on to know the importance of vitamin D during the pregnancy period.
Why is it important: With the skeletal development in place, the baby’s teeth and bones begin to take shape. Both these are highly matrix-driven structures and require a good amount of calcium and phosphorus. Vitamin D is essential to maintain good amounts of calcium and phosphorus in the body.
Complications: Insufficient amounts of vitamin D can produce a range of symptoms from absolutely no issues to severe bone malformations. If not sufficient, the bones and teeth could become hypomineralized and weak leading to fractures, brittle bones, and rickets in newborn children. There are also reported incidents of low birth weight, preterm birth, and higher risks during pregnancy, but these need to be proven yet.
Sources: Top 10 Vitamin D Rich Foods- Sunlight, Cod liver oil, Sardines, Salmon, Mackerel, Tuna, Raw Milk, Caviar, Eggs and Mushrooms.
Risk factors for vitamin D deficiency: People with darker skin, obesity, and fat malabsorption conditions are more prone to develop vitamin D deficiency. With the importance of vitamin D and its role in skeletal development well established, ensure you get the right amounts of it, whatever be the source.