Overview
Why are vitamins essential? What do these vitamins do for your body? Vitamins are the essential components that help your body to function normally. Vitamins boost our immune system, aid in healthy growth, help in cell reproduction and vitamins provide energy for the body functions.
It is advisable to intake vitamins daily, but you should know your limitations because too much intake of vitamins can cause severe damage to you. There are quite many vitamins, such as vitamin A, D, E, K, B12 etc., which benefits your body in different ways. To concentrate on one vitamin, in particular, let’s take a look at the significance of vitamin D, its side effects and the risk factors if consumed more in amount.
Vitamin D
Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin (a vitamin that dissolves in fat and oil), and the main function of vitamin D is, it helps to balance the amount of calcium and phosphate in the body. Vitamin D is also called the “sunshine vitamin” because it is produced in your skin exposure to sunlight.
Apart from the exposure to sunlight, you can also benefit from vitamin D through many food sources to make sure that you satisfy the adequate need for vitamins in your body.
Vitamins have many functions in our body. When the tables turn to vitamin D, the significance is surplus. Vitamin D is important to maintain a healthy bone weight, aids in cardiac function, maintains a healthy body weight, prevents the risk of cancer and other respiratory diseases and prevents you from the risk of developing diabetes, both type 1 and 2.
What is vitamin D deficiency?
Vitamin D deficiency is the indication that your intake of vitamin D is insufficient for your body function. Vitamin D deficiency causes severe health problems in adults and in infants, it may cause rickets (in children) and osteomalacia (in adults).
Here are some other complications caused by vitamin D deficiency:
- Heart-related disease
- Low bone density
- Diabetes
- Affects the immune system
- High blood pressure (Hypertension)
What are the symptoms of vitamin D side effects?
Some of the symptoms that could indicate the side effects of vitamin D are as follows:
- Poor appetite
- Dehydration
- Bone weakness
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Abdominal pain/camps
- Constipation
- Muscle pain
How does vitamin D affect your body?
Vitamin D regulates calcium and keeps in check the phosphorus amount in your blood. The problem arises when you consume vitamin D with large supplements. Too much of anything is good for nothing, so a surplus intake of vitamin D can cause calcium build-up (hypercalcaemia) in your body. Thus, causes bone deficiency and damages the kidney and heart.
The rundown listed below follow the side effects of vitamin D:
Hypercalcemia, caused by the increased amount of calcium in your body. An excessive amount of calcium in your blood can make your bones weak and you may also develop the risk of getting kidney stones and heart-related problems.
Kidney problems, hypercalcemia can be the leading cause of kidney stones due to the deposition of excess calcium. You may as well develop the risk of having long term kidney problems and kidney malfunction.
Bone weakness, the excess amount of calcium due to your surplus intake of vitamin D also disturbs other body functions, causing bone weakness and muscle pain.
Conclusion
An inadequate intake of vitamins may lead to vitamin deficiency in your health and body. Indeed, you also develop the risk of getting long term health problems. At the same time, a surplus intake of vitamin D also causes severe damages and health hazards. It is advisable to consult a doctor before planning your diet. Go as per the advice of your doctor. One small step of consultation will guard you against health complications.
