Vitamin D deficiency

Vitamin D deficiency or hypovitaminosis D is a vitamin D level that is below normal. It most commonly occurs in people when they have inadequate exposure to sunlight, particularly sunlight with adequate ultraviolet B rays (UVB). Vitamin D deficiency can also be caused by inadequate nutritional intake of vitamin D; disorders that limit vitamin D absorption; and disorders that impair the conversion of vitamin D to active metabolites, including certain liver, kidney, and hereditary disorders.

Deficiency impairs bone mineralization, leading to bone-softening diseases, such as rickets in children.
It can also worsen osteomalacia and osteoporosis in adults, increasing the risk of bone fractures.
Muscle weakness is also a common symptom of vitamin D deficiency, further increasing the risk of falls and bone fractures in adults.

Back to Vitamin D & Heat →

Source: Wikipedia · Image: Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 3.0