What Low Vitamin D Can Do To You

At the Women Writers' Fest held over this past weekend, Clinical Psychologist and Trauma specialist Dr Seema Hingorrany told SheThePeople.TV that sometimes low Vitamin D can cause depression. The mind-body connect is stronger than you can imagine, said dermatologist Dr Santhanam.

Vitamin D and Depression:

"I see lots of women with depression," says Dr Hingorrany, "and the first thing I ask them is to get all their blood tests done. They often resist, but when they do get the tests done they often find that they have low Vitamin B12 and very low Vitamin D. I have seen patients with Vitamin D levels as low as 3 or 4, when we need 40. It is difficult to understand the connection, but when these issues are corrected, it really helps," says Dr Hingorrany.

Indeed medical studies have shown the relationship between low Vitamin D and depression. And that people with low Vitamin D are at a higher risk for depression.

Other Side Effects: 

And it's not only depression -- people with low levels of Vitamin D experience aching bones. If you have low Vitamin D, your bones can become brittle and weak, and can cause osteoporosis. You could also experience weakness and pain in your muscles and joints.

If you improve your Vitamin D, you could reduce your risk of cancer, heart disease, and improve your metabolism.

Indians Don't Get Enough Vitamin D: 

So how do you get Vitamin D? The Vitamin is known as the sunshine vitamin as your body is supposed to absorb it from exposure to the sun. Since we live in a tropical climate, you would think that this would be a no brainer. However, a study has shown that 65-70 per cent of Indians are actually deficient in the vitamin.

How much time do you actually spend in the sun? Most our days pass in AC cubicles, where sun exposure is minimum. Also, people with darker skin tones such as ours, have higher levels of melatonin, which reduces Vitamin D production in the skin. People who are obese and fifty and older also find it more difficult to absorb the sunshine vitamin.

Here's how you can get more of the important Vitamin:

Take Vitamin D supplements.

Increase your exposure to the sun.

Eat food that can provide Vitamin D like dairy products, orange juice, soy milk, cheese, egg yolks, fatty fish like tuna and salmon.

So don't delay and get all your tests done. Get all the information about your body, what needs work and doesn't and be the driver of your own health.

Also Read: Stories of Strength: Cmon ladies, stock up that calcium