My wife and I have Vitamin D deficiency

[leoniss]

We both had a blood test for fatigue and other symptoms and the reports show we have both vitamin D deficiency. I'm wondering if it's a coincidence. What can cause it? Is it possible we ate something toxic or that we caught a virus?

[Red_Star]

Causes of vitamin D deficiency include:

* Lack of sunlight. To make vitamin D you need UV-B rays to come into direct contact with your skin. Of note: UV-B rays cannot penetrate glass. Pollution and clouds decrease the number of UV-B rays.

* Latitude - UV-B rays only penetrate the atmosphere when the sun is at certain angles. In places with a latitude above 37 degrees, UV-B rays usually do not reach the earth's surface during the winter months. Even during summer in these areas, UV-B rays only pass through between 10 am and 3 pm

* Dark or black skin needs up to 10 times the amount of sun than light skin to absorb vitamin D in their skin

* Wearing sunscreen - prevents absorption of UV-B rays. That said, sunscreen is recommended when the UV index is 3 and over.  UV radiation can cause sunburn, premature skin ageing, eye damage, and DNA damage to skin cells leading to skin cancer.

* Older adults - the skin converts less vitamin D from sunlight  

* Inflammation of any type reduces the utilization of vitamin D

* Lack of vitamin D co-factors - magnesium (most important co factor), zinc, vitamin K2, boron and a tiny amount of vitamin A

* Low cholesterol - cholesterol is the precursor to vitamin D. Vitamin D3 is made in the skin when 7-dehydrocholesterol absorbs UV-B ultraviolet light at wavelengths between 270 - 300 nm

* Kidney and liver disease - vitamin D is metabolized by the liver and kidneys into an active form of vitamin D

* Parathyroid conditions (parathyroid - glands in front of the thyroid). PTH (parathyroid hormone) regulates calcium in the blood. As the calcium level increases, the level of vitamin D decreases

* Malabsorption including coeliac disease, Crohn's disease, food allergies, dysbiosis (yeast or bacterial)

* Hypothyroidism - possible explanations: poor absorption of vitamin D from the intestine or the body may not activate vitamin D properly

* High cortisol levels (caused by stress, medications like steroids or medical conditions such as Cushing's Disease).  When the body is in an active stress response, most of the cholesterol is used to make cortisol and not enough is left over for vitamin D production  

* Medications including statins (cholesterol lowering drugs), acid lowering medications, anti-inflammatories, laxatives, prednisone, corticosteroids, anti-convulsants, replacement hormones, anticoagulants, blood thinners.

* Conditions that impair fat absorption such as Cystic Fibrosis, IBS, IBD, gall bladder, liver disease

* Very large or obese body as a larger body requires more vitamin D

* Gastric bypass surgery

* Very low fat diet -  in order to absorb vitamin D the body needs to have fat (vitamin D is fat soluble)

* Lacking vitamin D in the diet or a strict vegetarian diet - natural food sources of vitamin D are animal based

* Pesticides: most are fat soluble and steroid hormone disruptors (vitamin D is actually a steroid hormone)

* Hereditary disorders

- Renal 1 alpha-hydroxylase deficiency (also called type I hereditary vitamin D-dependent rickets)

- Type II Hereditary Vitamin D-Dependent Rickets

- Type III hereditary vitamin D-dependent rickets