National Nutrition Week is celebrated annually from September 1 to September 7. The week is dedicated to the importance of nutrition which is quite misunderstood and ignored these days. While the underprivileged is unfortunate enough to suffer from nutritional deficiencies because of the lack of resources, the fortunate ones do not get sufficient nutrition either. Nutrients form the base of your life, and your body needs a variety of them. National Nutrition Week 2019: Are You Truly Healthy? 7 Signs of Nutritional Deficiency.

Right from growth to maintenance, every bodily function depends on nutrition. Your body needs forty varieties of nutrients for the proper function of your body. The nutrients can be divided into six broad categories such as carbohydrates, protein, lipid (fat), water, vitamins, and minerals. These are further divided into macro and micronutrients. Carbohydrate, protein, and fat are the macronutrients because as the name suggests, we need them in a more significant amount as a part of our diet. On the other hand, vitamins and minerals are the micronutrients as they consist of a smaller portion of our diet. Erectile Dysfunction and Vitamin D: Why The ‘Sunshine Vitamin’ Is Important For Men’s Sexual Health. 

Recently, findings by PG Talwalkar, Diabetologist at Shushrusha Hospital in Mumbai, revealed that over 70 percent of Indians have Vitamin D deficiency and this includes 84 percent, pregnant women. The study also found out that vitamin D deficiency was majorly associated with Type 2 diabetes and hypertension. Moreover, about 88 percent of people from Mumbai, the economic capital of India are Vitamin D deficient. Here are the common signs of vitamin D deficiency:

Fatigue

Fatigue is one of the most common yet ignored signs. Many people brush it off blaming it on workload etc. But believe it or not, excessive fatigue may be a sign of vitamin D deficiency. Low blood levels caused by a deficiency in vitamin D could be one of the main that you feel exhausted all the time.

Hairloss

In very rare cases, deficiency of vitamin D may cause hair loss. Being deficient in vitamin D may contribute to female-pattern hair loss however, more study is required to back the cause.  How To Eat Healthy – 5 Simple Secrets of Good Health.

Bone Loss And Weakness

Lack of vitamin D impacts your bone health big time. Vitamin D is known to improve your body's absorption process of calcium. Lack of vitamin D means issues in the absorption of calcium. This may, in turn, cause bone problems, right from pain to weakness to its loss.

Slow Wound Healing

If your body takes ages to heal wounds, you may be suffering from a lack of vitamin D levels. Studies suggest that vitamin D may hinder the production of compounds that form new skin.

Muscle Pain

Lack of vitamin D levels may be linked with pain-sensing nerve cells and lack of blood cells. If you are experiencing excessive muscle pain, lack of vitamin D, maybe the cause behind it.

Tests For Vitamin D Deficiency: While these symptoms do indicate vitamin D deficiency, they can sometimes be vague. The most accurate way of finding out that you are deficient in vitamin D is via 25-hydroxy vitamin D blood test. A level of 20 nanograms/millilitre to 50 ng/mL is considered adequate for healthy people. A level of less than 12 ng/mL indicates vitamin D deficiency.

However, fret not, if you deficient in vitamin D, the problem can be addressed easily. You need to increase the amount of Vitamin D rich food in your diet. Fatty fish, like tuna and salmon, beef liver, egg yolk and dairy products such as cheese etc. Soy milk is also a great source of Vitamin D.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 05, 2019 01:25 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).