Could your pain be caused by a vitamin D deficiency?
Vitamin D has been traditionally associated with bone health, not pain. However, because of the now widely recognized vitamin deficiency in the United States, the medical community is taking a much closer look at a supplement that is driving cause and treatment research. Muscular pain, medically known as myalgia, has become a leading issue, as researchers try and understand its link to vitamin D deficiency.
Vitamin D Basics
Studies have shown that there is a vitamin D deficiency present in approximately 30 to 50 percent of the general population. This is primarily due to poor diet, an increase in time spent indoors, and the use of sunscreen which blocks damaging UV rays. Vitamin D comes in two forms: D2 and D3 which is the most readily absorbed form. It is consumed through fortified foods such as milk, orange juice, and some cereals and yogurts, oily fish like salmon, sardines, and tuna, as well as through over-the-counter supplements. Vitamin D3 is complex and the only vitamin that works like a hormone carrying messages throughout the body. It aides tissues particularly the joints, bones, and muscles. Current evidence suggests a link between pain and a D3 deficiency given this relationship.
Significance
The Journal of the American College of Cardiology (JACC) reports, "A rapidly evolving knowledge base indicates that vitamin D deficiency is much more prevalent than previously recognized and is present in up to 50 percent of young adults and [healthy] children. The Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III) reported the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in the U. S. to be between 25 and 57 percent of adults."
Vitamin D and Pain
Chronic pain in the muscles and joints and fatigue are the most common complaints for which Americans seek medical treatment today. Vitamin D deficiencies have been linked to chronic musculoskeletal pain, muscle weakness, autoimmune diseases, heart disease, several types of cancer, depression, even Type 2 diabetes. According to Michael Turner, MD from the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, "Many patients who labeled with fibromyalgia are, in fact, suffering from symptomatic vitamin-D inadequacy." According to the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, myalgias [pain in a muscle or a group of muscles] are generally the first manifestation of vitamin D deficiency. While research is ongoing, current evidence suggests not only a link to pain and disease with vitamin D deficiency, but demonstrates treatment of these health issues with higher supplemental doses of the vitamin.
Considerations
Improved muscle function and strength have been linked to vitamin D supplementation, giving credibility to the fact that the supplement may also prevent falls and fractures. According to Bess Dawson-Hughes of the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University, the link is to "vitamin D receptors on the fast-twitch fibers in muscles that are the first responders when you are about to fall. So, it's biologically plausible that vitamin D will affect muscle, and we certainly know that [weaker] lower extremity muscles are a risk factor for falls."
Dosage & Diagnosing
The U.S. government's current recommendation for oral vitamin D is: 200 IU to 600 IU daily for adults. However, it is estimated that 1,000 to 2,000 IU is necessary to satisfy the body's needs for most people. A dose of vitamin D3 up to 2,000 IU daily has been deemed safe by the U. S. Food and Drug Administration's nutritional guidelines. The dosage levels recommended for the treatment of pain is typically much higher and should be guided by a physician. Diagnosing a vitamin D deficiency requires a simple blood test which is often, but not always, covered by insurance.
Vitamin D Deficiency and other Health Issues
Research and ongoing clinical trials continue to probe the effect of vitamin D deficiencies with pain and other health issues such as: heart disease, stroke, cancer (especially colon, breast, and prostate), Type 2 diabetes, depression, and autoimmune disease. Vitamin D and Omega-3s are considered two of the most promising nutrients available for the prevention of cardiovascular disease and cancer.
Tags: vitamin deficiency, have been, American College, Cardiology, been linked