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Health Issues that Arise from Low Intake of Vitamin D and Calcium
Although known as a vitamin, vitamin D is technically a hormone because the body is able to manufacture it as long as there is exposure to sunlight. Therefore in theory human beings should not need to get vitamin D from the foods they eat as long as they receive enough sun. Often known as the 'sunshine nutrient' vitamin D is both unique as well as vital to the health of the human body.
Rickets is primarily a disorder found in childhood that involves soft as well as weak bones and is usually caused by a low intake of calcium and sometimes phosphate. Making sure that a child takes in and maintains a healthy quantity of calcium, vitamin D and phosphorus can easily prevent this health condition. In children who have gastrointestinal and/or other stomach related disorders, a calcium or vitamin D supplement may be in order.
Osteomalacia is a health condition that is caused by either a lack of vitamin D or the body's inability to metabolize this vitamin properly. Osteomalacia shows itself in the form of soft bones, weakness in the muscles, pain in bones that is very diffuse and is most commonly felt in the hip area. Bones fractures are also common with individuals who suffer from osteomalacia. The symptoms of this health problem that are directly associated with low amounts of calcium in the body include a heart rhythm that is abnormal in nature, spasms occurring in the hands, feet or both, numbness around the mouth area and also numbness of the arms and legs. Often both a bone x ray as well as a bone biopsy is needed to diagnose a case of osteomalacia.
A low intake of both calcium and vitamin D can contribute to the development of osteoporosis, which tends to be more common in women than in men. Osteoporosis is defined as the 'thinning of bone tissue and loss of bone density over time.' This is especially the case for women going through menopause or for those who are postmenopausal because bone depletion picks up speed as a woman ages. Taking supplements of calcium and vitamin D for high risk groups is a method of maintaining density of the bones as well as a way to help prevent bone fractures.
Studies have shown that in the case of serious bone fractures of the hips, an extra supply of calcium helped to slow the loss of bone. It is recommended that even those individuals who are presently taking a medication that helps to ward off osteoporosis should also take a calcium and vitamin D supplement on a daily basis. Calcium is believed to also have the advantage of improving the level of lipids in the bloodstream that serve to keep the heart in top form and also help to prevent a person from putting on unwanted pounds. It is important to bear in mind that vitamin D protects against this disease 'only in combination with calcium.'
More and more research is also pointing to the conclusion that vitamin D may help to lower the chance that a woman will develop breast cancer throughout her lifetime. Taking in adequate amounts of vitamin D seems to be particularly crucial for young girls who are at the stage in their life where their breasts are still developing. Also associated with a lower risk of breast cancer for adolescent girls was taking cod liver oil for a period of 10 years or longer and also drinking at least nine glasses of milk on a weekly basis.
Nutritional SupplementsFor many years, people have been talking about and taking nutritional supplements. What started out as natural herbs, has now grown into a trend that people use on a daily ... As previously mentioned, women going through menopause are cautioned to make sure they are taking in adequate amounts of calcium and vitamin C on a regular basis. Hyperparathyroidism, which is 'excessive production by the parathyroid glands', can occur as a result of a low intake of vitamin D and calcium and even prostrate cancer has been linked to a lesser extent to a lack of this essential vitamin and this essential mineral.
Babies and elderly people are particularly vulnerable to a vitamin D deficiency. For babies who mothers breast feed them, vitamin D is for the most part absent from breast milk. Babies also tends to get very little exposure to the sun for fear that the sun's rays will burn their skin. However this also can equal a vitamin D deficiency. For the elderly members of the population, there tends to be two problems that often work in conjunction with each other older people tend to avoid the sun more than other age groups and often their bodies have a difficult time synthesizing the vitamin D once it makes contact with the skin. As well, as the kidneys get older, the body may have a lesser ability to turn the required vitamin D into its 'active metabolite.'
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Vitamin D Research Vital VitaminThe human body requires all kinds of vital ingredients in order to stay fit and healthy. Each one knows about the importance of carbohydrates, proteins, fats and minerals to the ...
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