Vitamin D All All you you need need to to know know
A sudden spurt of awareness in deficiency of Vitamin D is seen in most of the medical screening of patients. Doctors are recommending checking of Vitamin D for deficiency to one and all. In one of the screenings, a wellknown socialite in the city was recommended calcium booster tablet without checking on the side effects it could create for patients. “I was given calcium booster tablet wherein one tablet had to be taken every month. When I took the tablet, I had breathing problems and severe pain in the muscles. As my bones are very brittle the doctor advised me to take the tablet. But it worked otherwise. I developed severe pain due to which an ECG was done and it was found that my heart muscles had reacted badly to the medicine. One out of 100 people react severely to these medicines.”
The example quoted above shows that excess of Vitamin D can have adverse effects on the body. It must be understood that only those tested below 20 nanograms per milliliter of blood must be given vitamin D tablets. Injections are the last option when tablets do not work. ‘Proper screening is a must’
Dr Ramana Reddy, Orthopaedic surgeon I njections for vitamin D are not advised as the first option. We prescribe tablets and still if it does not improve than only injections are administered. The number of injections is limited to one or two. But they have not shown any adverse reaction. The case mentioned could be one in a thousand but it is not the normal case in most patients. Calcium intake is suggested only after proper diagnoses. It can’t create toxicity for these are sheer deposits which if the bones don’t absorb are washed out of the body. ‘Vitamin D toxicity is a myth’
Dr K. Srinivas Rao, Consultant diabetologist, diabetic foot specialist T oxicity by Vitamin D is a myth with no evidence to back it. The overdose of vitamin D can allegedly cause calcium deposition, kidney stones and loss of appetite, but there is no fact based research to support the claim. There can be one or two patients who may have had adverse effect but it cannot cause toxicity. The recognised deficiency level is less than 20 to 29 nanograms per milliliter of blood. Sufficient levels are 30 nanograms per milliliter of blood. Vitamin D intake via diet can be a minimum of 400 International Units (IU) per day for children and 1000 IUs per day for adults. ‘Calcium is the key’
Dr B. Nithin, Orthopaedic Surgeon, Yashoda Hospital
C alcium-rich foods like egg yolk, mushrooms, tuna, sardines, salmon,cereals and orange juice can bring up your Vitamin D levels. If a proper diet is maintained then the body does not require supplements and injections. The vitamins are good but in a few cases due to metabolism it may create an imbalance. But it is not toxic in nature. Natural sunlight also goes a long way in controlling the deficiency. By exposing both arms and legs to the sun for 20 minutes in the morning, one can absorb enough Vitamin D for a day. When one spends time in the sun, a molecule in the skin is transformed into vitamin D3, which helps maintain calcium level in the body. The profiling is now a must as current research has shown that its deficiency is one of the major reasons of hypertension, autoimmune diseases, diabetes and osteoporosis. Assessing your Vitamin D level with a simple blood test will help to stave off complications later. ‘Frequent falls and weak bones’
Harita Shyam, Chief Clinical Nutritionist, Apollo Hospitals L ow Vitamin D leads to low mineral density. Deficiency also results in impaired bone mineralisation and bone-softening. If the levels are low, weekly supplementation is required. If they continue to be low, then injections are a must. Vitamin D supplements do not cause illnesses. The stated side effects occur for one in a thousand. For a healthy person, the standard levels of Vitamin D should be a minimum of 50 nanograms per milliliter with optimal levels falling between 50-80 nanograms per milliliter (125-200 nmol/L). These values apply to children as well as adults.