Doctors call vitamin D deficiency the silent disease as young people collapse without warning
I didn't know I was lacking in Vitamin D until I collapsed at work
Saskia Reeves-Priestley, a 23-year-old teacher and keen goalkeeper, collapsed at work before blood tests revealed her vitamin D was "next to nothing." Nearly a quarter of 11- to 18-year-olds in the UK are now classed as deficient. Clinicians warn the condition quietly softens bones and is easily missed or misdiagnosed, and a group called ACT NOW Vitamin D wants the deficiency threshold raised.
It's basically silently eating away at the bones, leaving them softened and prone to breaks.
- pbnjeh
I started taking vitamin D (D3) because one side of my family has a lot of cancer. Within a couple of days, my mood had stabilized and overall improved. Thinking about it when I noticed this, the only thing that had changed for me was taking the vitamin D.
I’ve since observed that when I run out of vitamin D or forget to take it for several days, my mood slowly declines again. Resumption of vitamin D reverses this.
I did not go into this with any knowledge of such an effect. And the vitamin D influence is stronger in this regard than what I’ve experienced from any (legal) drug. That said, it’s hardly overwhelming. Just a bit more resilience and a bit of protection from feeling overwhelmed.
I now take it in combination with K2 as I’ve heard/read K2 helps keep too much of your calcium from being mobilized by the vitamin D.
The D3 isomer is said to be significantly more bio-available than D1 and D2. And, overdosing does have significant negative consequences over time. So, do your research — and I’m not going to suggest any specific dosages.
But after largely negative experiences with what the pharmaceutical industry has to offer, D3 has been an inexpensive and valuable contribution to my well-being.
- OvervCW
How is it possible that the football player mentioned in the article can suffer from a deficiency level that's severe enough to collapse?
I would expect that regularly being outside (for practice) and a normal balanced diet would be sufficient to at least get by in a country like the UK. Some depressive/lower energy symptoms during winter time, maybe, but nothing so severe as collapsing.
Shouldn't this problem show up in a much larger portion of the population? Or do very physically active individuals require more Vitamin D?
- usrnm
I thought it was common knowledge that people with darker skin living further from the Equator have a higher chance of getting vitamin D deficiency and should take supplements. Just like people with lighter skin living closer to the Equator have a higher chance of getting skin cancer and should apply additional sun protection. We have all these adaptations for a reason
- joelkek
I’ve seen vitamin D overdoses too so be careful. Testing is a cheap and sensible first step
https://mitohealth.com/products/vitamin-d-25-hydroxy-calcidi...
- tagami
Eat more mushrooms! Mushrooms contain a natural compound called ergosterol that converts into vitamin D2 when exposed to UV light (similar to our skin!) Even brief exposure to direct midday sun or UV lamps works. Mushrooms are the only non-animal dietary source capable of producing vitamin D. We collaborated on a private astronaut mission to study this in microgravity called Mission MushVroom.