Ingesting vitamins is extremely important to keep our bodies healthy, they are essential to life (hence the name that comes from “vital” and “amins”). A deficiency of vitamin D will produce a series of diseases and vitamin deficiency symptoms that will affect our bone and muscle development and strength. Among the vitamin D deficiency diseases we have rickets (in infants), osteomalacia (in audlts) and osteoporosis (in elderly people).

It is important to know who are the people who are at a higher risk of developing Vitamin D related diseases, and learn how it can affect us. Luckily, most of us won't have a problem since Vitamin D is processed thanks to the rays of the Sun.

I invite you to read on to find more information about this important topic.

Rickets appear infants when there is not enough vitamin D to meet the needs of a developing body.  Children at this stage of life have significant vitamin D, more than the need of adults in proportion. That’s because the body is rapidly growing and developing. Vitamin D Deficiencies are cause because of lack of information of the mother who is in charge of providing the child from all needed vitamins and nutrients.  This disease will show as bowed legs, and slow in walking an teething.  As you can see this greatly affects the development of the child and can result in deformity of pelvis and also pigeon chest.

Pregnant and nursing women on the other part who don’t get enough levels of vitamin D will also develop a disease called osteomalacia. Women who are pregnant or breastfeeding also have increased needs of vitamins and nutrients due to hormonal changes and because many of what they ingest goes to feed the baby. That’s why many doctors recommend taking multivitamins especially formulated for pregnant women during this phase of life. These vitamin D deficiency diseases are more common in places where people don’t get sun exposure, which is the main source of vitamin D (this vitamin can’t be easily found in food).

When you are old and you have a vitamin D deficiency, you will develop osteoporosis. Women who are under menopause will have an hormonal imbalance that will produce deficiencies on the “sunshine vitamin”, this will cause lack of calcium to maintain strong bones. The treatment in these cases is more sun exposure followed along an intake of vitamin D supplements.

Prevention is very important to avoid vitamin D deficiency symptoms and diseases. As I said, sun exposure is essential, but the main problem that causes these diseases is lack of information. In the US the incidence of rickets is lower than ever, but this doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist anymore. You got to help people know about possible deficiencies especially pregnant and nursing women.