9. You have digestive difficulties
Ailments that relate to your gut can produce vitamin D deficiency in your body, owing to malabsorption, since intestines too play a crucial part in the absorption of this nutrient from your meals. The fact that vitamin D is much more designated as a ‘hormone’ rather than a nutrient or a vitamin is that, its absence brings about a wide variety of pathological changes in the body, including improper digestion.
We have vitamin D receptors throughout our gut. This hormone also plays a role in the formation of insulin by pancreatic cells, which may explain why its deficiency leads to an increased risk of insulin-dependent diabetes. Insulin plays a vital role in the absorption of glucose and amino acids by the liver and muscle cells.
Low levels of vitamin D may also lead to delayed emptying of food from the stomach, which can produce notable symptoms such as bloating. Hence, it is crucial for you to obtain a vitamin D containing diet.
10. If you’re 50 years or older
Aging is certainly not a sign of vitamin D deficiency, but advanced age leads to decreased formation of vitamin D, just as that in the case of chronic kidney disease. There are various factors that lead to insufficiency of this nutrient in the elderly, like decreasing diet, less exposure to sunlight (since they tend to move less), increasing fragility of the skin, increasing impairment in intestinal functions, and decreasing liver and kidney functions.
Hence, if any of the signs of vitamin D deficiency are noted in the elderly, diagnosis and treatment must not take too much time.