Geriatric Care - Care of the Aged

If you shun the sun, suffer from milk  allergies , or adhere to a strict  vegetarian diet , you may be at risk for  vitamin D deficiency . Known as the sunshine vitamin,  vitamin D  is produced by the body in response to sunlight. It is also occurs naturally in a few foods -- including some fish, fish liver oils, and egg yolks -- and in fortified dairy and grain products. Vitamin D is essential for strong bones because it helps the body use  calcium  from the  diet . Traditionally, vitamin D deficiency has been associated with  rickets , a disease in which the bone tissue doesn't properly mineralize, leading to soft bones and skeletal deformities. But increasingly, research is revealing the importance of vitamin D in protecting against a host of health problems. Symptoms and Health Risks of Vitamin D Deficiency Symptoms of bone pain and muscle weakness can mean you have a vitamin D deficiency. However, for many people, the symptoms are subtle. Yet even without symptoms, t