Vitamin D and Women

Are you experiencing problems like depression, fatigue, weakness, irregularity in sleep cycles and mood swings? If yes, then the factor triggering all these health problems might be a deficiency of vitamin D.

Human body requires vitamin D for helping their body in regulating maintenance and growth of bones and to stabilize secretion of certain hormones. This vitamin is even more important for women, particularly the ones attaining menopause.

How much vitamin D should a woman consume every day depends on the age of the woman. Women, who have not crossed 50 years of age must consume between 400 and 800 international units (IU) vitamin D daily. After crossing 50 years, the body of a woman requires 800-1,000 IU vitamin D every day. In specific cases the physician might recommend consuming vitamin D in higher quantities. According to medical experts, consuming up to 4,000 IU vitamin D daily is safe.

Women must make sure that they are consuming enough vitamin D primarily for preventing the disorder known as osteoporosis. Women with osteoporosis develop fragile bones due to loss of bone density. The condition is more common among women attaining menopause. Vitamin D helps women to prevent onset of osteoporosis by enabling their body to absorb more calcium, building block of their bones.

Vitamin D also helps in regulating the production of some female hormones. Limited production of these hormones due to vitamin D deficiency might make a woman feel extremely fatigued, depressed and weak. Regular intake of vitamin D (as prescribed by the physician) helps women to get back the normal levels of energy hormones and eradicate the above mentioned discomforts.

The primary source of vitamin D for the human beings is the sunlight. The dietary sources of the vitamin, on the other hand, are: dairy products, eggs, fatty fishes etc.