Deficiency of vitamin D
Vitamin D deficiency is the true epidemic of our times. It is perhaps more common than any other medical condition at the present time.
Deficiencies in vitamin D result in rickets (deformities of bone, such as bow legs and curvature of the spine) and teeth defects. It can cause osteomalacia in adults.
This due to deficient vitamin D levels resulting reduced calcium absorption, to only 10 to 15 percent of dietary calcium, and less than 50 percent absorption of dietary phosphorus. As a result, the protein scaffold made by osteoblasts can’t be mineralized.
There was a hypothesis that vitamin D deficiency may increase the risk of prostate cancer, based on the finding that mortality rates of this cancer in the United States were inversely proportional to ultraviolet radiation.
Scientist also are looking for ways vitamin D and its derivatives might treat other conditions of abnormal cell growth, such as psoriasis and cancers of the blood, lung and cervix.
Vitamin D deficiency has been linked to increased risk for cardiovascular disease, multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis and type 1 diabetes.
Symptoms that point to vitamin D deficiency are muscle spasms, bone pain and joint pain. Lesser degrees of deficiency may be characterized by loss of appetite, a burning sensation in the mouth and throat, diarrhea, insomnia, visual problems, and weight loss.
