If you do not spend enough time out in the sun, have milk allergies, or stick to a strict vegan diet, you may end up noticing symptoms of vitamin D deficiency. Also called the sunshine vitamin, your body produces vitamin D when you are exposed to sunlight. You can also find it in a few foods, such as fish liver oil, fish, and egg yolks. Vitamin D deficiency symptoms in men can be quite serious and affect their overall health.

Symptoms of Vitamin D Deficiency in Men

You do not always experience symptoms when you are deficient in vitamin D, but sometimes there may be some specific issues suggesting that you are not getting enough vitamin D.

1. Erectile Dysfunction

One of many vitamin D deficiency symptoms in men is erectile dysfunction (ED). Studies show that men with erectile dysfunction have significantly lower levels of this vitamin. This is especially true in men with severe ED. It is also found that men with ED usually have some sort of heart disease as well, which may as well be associated with vitamin D deficiency.

2. Painful Bones

Vitamin D plays a role in keeping your bones healthy, so you are likely to experience pain in the bones when you are deficient in vitamin D. Your pain and aches are likely to get worse in the winter. You may notice your joints being stiffer in the morning. Your bones suffer because your body needs vitamin D to absorb calcium, and that malabsorption of calcium leads to pain in your bones.

3. Recurrent Infections

You need vitamin D for a healthy immune system, which means that you are likely to get sick or infected often when you are not getting enough vitamin D. You may want to increase your intake of vitamin D if you become sick easily, especially with colds or the flu.

4. Other Symptoms

In addition, there may be a number of other vitamin D deficiency symptoms in men. For instance, you may have muscular weakness, frequent bone fractures, difficulty thinking clearly, unexplained fatigue, and soft, deformed bones.

One of many signs of vitamin D deficiency is sweat on your forehead. If you wonder why you always have sweatiness on the forehead, it may be because you are deficient in vitamin D.

Possible Causes of Your Vitamin D Deficiency

As you can see, a deficiency of vitamin D can affect you in a number of ways, so it is important to know what causes this deficiency in the first place.

• One common cause is that you follow a vegan diet. Vitamin D is mostly found in fish, fortified milk, fish oils, and beef liver. Not including these food types in your diet may eventually deplete your vitamin-D levels.
• Not spending enough time out in the sun is another reason why you may be suffering from a vitamin D deficiency. Your body makes vitamin D when your skin absorbs sunlight. It means that spending too much time indoors or keeping yourself covered when going out can limit that sun exposure and result in a vitamin D deficiency.
• Sometimes, you are deficient in vitamin D because your kidneys are not functioning properly. Your kidneys have to function optimally to convert vitamin D to its active form. Certain diseases can impair the function of your kidneys.
• Similarly, certainly gastrointestinal problems, like cystic fibrosis, Crohn's disease, and celiac disease can also affect the way your intestines absorb vitamin D. This will again cause vitamin D deficiency symptoms in men and women.
• What's more, people who are obese may also be deficient in vitamin D. Fat cells extract vitamin D from the blood, which means that you may develop a deficiency if you are obese or have a body mass index greater than 30.

How Can It Be Managed?

You may have to take vitamin D supplements to deal with your deficiencies. You need to work with your doctor because they will help determine how deficient you are and how much vitamin D you should be taking on a daily basis. For instance, people who are not that deficient in vitamin D may feel better after taking 400-800IU of vitamin D, but those who are very deficient may need to take more than 1,000IU of vitamin D per day. Generally, you should be getting at least 800IU of vitamin D on a daily basis if you are in your 70s or older. Babies up to 12 months of age should be getting 400IU/day, whereas anyone between 1 year and 70 years of age should get no less than 600IU/day.

Change Your Diet

You can opt for foods high in vitamin D to deal with your deficiency. Some good options include egg yolks, cheese, beef, mushroom, and fish liver oils. Fatty fish such as salmon, mackerel, and tuna may also help treat your vitamin D deficiency. Moreover, you can also find several food items fortified with vitamin D. Some examples include fortified yogurt, milk, orange juice, breakfast cereals, and margarine.

Enjoy the Sun

Spending more time out in the sun may also help improve your vitamin D levels. You do not have to spend hours in the sun though – you can increase your vitamin D levels simply by spending 15 minutes in the sun. You need to keep in mind that ultraviolet B radiation is responsible for vitamin D production in the body, but these rays cannot pass through glass. This is the reason why you have to be out in the sun and let the sunlight penetrate your skin for a few minutes. Be sure to wear sunscreen if you are going to spend more than 15 minutes in direct sunlight.