Sometimes, the remedy for a certain serious and common health condition may be in the simple correction of the deficiency of some mineral or vitamin. Vitamin D deficiency affects millions of Westerners and causes various health issues.
The following 8 common diseases have been scientifically related to the chronic deficiency of vitamin D:
1. Type-2 Diabetes
The journal AIDS published a study conducted in 2011 which found that the lack of this vitamin worsens the symptoms of metabolic syndrome in the case of HIV.
Researchers also discovered that maintaining increased levels of vitamin D via sunlight exposure or supplementation lowers the risk of type-2 diabetes in general.
2. Hypertension
The Journal of Investigative Medicine published a study which showed that people with hypertension fared better in the case of increased vitamin D levels.
Also, elevated blood serum levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D), which is a marker of vitamin D, aid to modulate vascular inflammation and other high blood pressure indicators
3. Rheumatoid arthritis
One recent Canadian study has found a “considerably strong association” between vitamin D deficiency and rheumatoid arthritis. Researchers said that subjects with the lowest blood plasma levels of 25(OH)D were up to 5 times more prone to RA-related diseases than others.
4. Asthma
Newest scientific research assumes that vitamin D, and especially its deficiency, is the major factor in the asthma prevalence. Especially in the case of children, this vitamin lowers the intensity of the asthma symptoms and also relieves the inflammation which restricts the airways and causes breathing difficulties.
5. Influenza
The influenza rates are the highest in winter when the exposure to during the ultraviolet B rays is minimal. Research has also shown that vitamin D strengthens the immune system, so maintaining it in optimal levels will fight flu and its symptoms.
6) Dental cavities
At least from the mid-1800s, experts suspected that the lack of natural sunlight exposure is the greatest reason for poor health.
The lack of this vitamin has also been related to poor dental health recently, as scientists found that optimal levels of vitamin D support the healthy calcification of teeth, while its deficiency leads to dental cavities.
7) Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD)
Studies conducted in India, Europe, and the United States found a relation between reduced levels of vitamin D and increased rates of ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s disease, and other forms of IBD. Research has also shown that populations where there is an increased natural sunlight exposure have reduced rates of IBD and vice versa.
8) Cancer
It has been shown that people deficient in vitamin D are more susceptible to cancers of all types, including gastric, breast, renal, prostate, cervical, ovarian, colorectal, esophageal, endometrial. On the other hand, people who maintain this vitamin in high levels in the body are less prone to developing cancer.