7 SIGNS YOU HAVE A VITAMIN D DEFICIENCY (and what to do about it)

You’ve hit the big 5-0. Your body is simply less efficient at synthesizing vitamin D the older you get, and your kidneys become less productive in the conversion of vitamin D into the bioactive variant that your body actually uses. Also, older Americans statistically spend less time outdoors than people under 50, thus reducing vitamin D production from exposure to sunlight.

You have achy bones Are your joints stiff in the mornings? Do you struggle with achiness in your bones and muscles, particularly in the winter? Winter in the northern hemisphere is the time when vitamin D deficiency is most pronounced because people are not creating sufficient amounts of vitamin D through their exposure to sunlight.

You're carrying too much weight around with you Okay, so you are carrying around a few extra pounds, what’s the big deal? Well, your body might still produce the same amount of vitamin D as someone at their target weight, but that quantity of vitamin D is spread over a greater amount of body fat (vitamin D is a fat soluable vitamin). Thus, if you are overweight you probably need a proportionately greater amount of vitamin D.

You feel generally blah Vitamin D appears to improve serotonin levels which can improve your spirits.

You have a dark complexion Skin pigment acts as a natural sunscreen – thus people with dark skin need significantly more sunlight to generate an appropriate amount of vitamin D. The statistics are quite alarming on this point –about 97% of African-Americans are considered as having vitamin D deficiencies!

You're head just doesn’t stop sweating It isn’t totally clear as to why, but this symptom is highly correlated to vitamin D deficiency.

You have problem in your gut Do you suffer from Crohn's, celiac or inflammatory bowel disease? These conditions effect how you absorb fat in your gut and, since vitamin D is a fat soluble vitamin, you may not be absorbing vitamin D efficiently.

Getting enough outdoor sun exposure is still probably the best approach to resolving a vitamin D deficiency, however food sources (seafood, milk) and products like ENOF can play an important role in improving your vitamin D profile. ENOF is an excellent dietary source of vitamin D providing 240 IU per serving.