Gelisim News

Vitamin D deficiency may be the cause of your unhappiness!

We say goodbye to sunny days, as days pass. The sun's rays, which are the biggest source of vitamin D, help protect people from depression. Asst. Prof. Dr. Ayse Huri Ozkarabulut stated that vitamin D deficiency increases the risk of many diseases.

Vitamin D taken with food constitutes 10% of the total vitamin D in the body. Asst. Prof. Dr. Ayse Huri Ozkarabulut from Istanbul Gelisim University (IGU) Health Sciences Faculty Nutrition and Dietetics Department remarked the following: Egg yolk, beef liver and fish oil are the best-known sources of vitamin D.  90% of the vitamin D in the body is synthesized in the skin under the effect of sunlight.

VITAMIN D DEFICIENCY INCREASES THE RISK OF MANY DISEASES

Most of the vitamin D needed by the body is obtained from sunlight. With the winter months approaching, paying attention to the level of vitamin D in the blood these days is necessary. Asst. Prof. Dr. Ayse Huri Ozkarabulut indicated, “There is a link between vitamin D deficiency and an increased risk of many diseases. For instance, cancer, cardiovascular diseases, osteoarthritis and autoimmune diseases, even type-2 diabetes and depression are linked to vitamin D deficiency. It has been determined by research that the sun's rays protect a person from depression. Sun rays reduce melatonin secreted by the brain and increase serotonin, which is known as the happiness hormone.

VITAMIN D IS PRODUCED 75% LESS IN THE ELDERLY

The level of vitamin D varies according to exposure to sunlight, the altitude of the region above sea level, the density of pigmentation in the skin, age, and the amount of vitamin D taken with nutrition. Lifestyle, age, race and other factors pose a risk for vitamin D. According to a study, it is estimated that 40-100% of people over 65 years old in America and Europe have vitamin D deficiency. Asst. Prof. Dr. Ayse Huri Ozkarabulut, “Low vitamin D level has been found together with dementia and other cognitive diseases. In clinical studies, it has been determined that although the elderly are regularly exposed to the sun, their skin produces 75% less vitamin D than young people. Moreover, numerous studies show a link between vitamin D deficiency and obesity.”

BE CAREFUL IF YOU FEEL TIRED AND EXHAUSTED!

People with digestive system diseases (for example, Crohn's, celiac and other intestinal diseases) are faced with low vitamin D levels. These diseases cause difficult absorption of vitamin D from food sources. If there is a vitamin D deficiency, muscle and bone pain, fatigue, weakness and depression can be seen. Asst. Prof. Dr. Ozkarabulut also added, “The most well-known symptom in children is rachitism, which occurs in the form of leg curvature. In adults, it is osteomalacia that occurs with an easy bone fracture. The standard treatment for vitamin D deficiency is supplementation. Despite being given the right foods, most scientists think that food cannot compensate for the deficiency. If vitamin D is taken excessively, it can cause poisoning. Furthermore, staying in the sun for a long time increases the risk of skin cancer as well.