Deficient in Vitamin D?

Are you suffering from vitamin D deficiency? Take this quiz to find out.

Calculate the points for each of your answers and tally the scores below.

1. What is your age?
A. Below 20 years (1 point)
B. 20 to 30 years (1 point)
C. 30 to 40 years (2 points)
D. Above 40 years (3 points)

2. How much sun do you get between 11 am and 1 pm every day?
A. None (3 points)
B. 10 to 20 minutes (2 points)
C. 20 to 40 minutes (1 point)

3. What is your skin tone?
A. Dark (3 points)
B. Medium (2 points)
C. Fair (1 point)

4. How much vitamin D-rich foods do you have in a day?
A. Fatty fish (-1 point)
B. Serving of sunflower seeds (-1 point)
C. Beef liver (-1 point)
D. Egg yolks (-1 point)

5. How often do you apply sunscreen?
A. Immediately when you step into the sun (3 points)
B. Sometimes or only when stepping out for a long time (2 points)
C. Never (1 point)

6. How many of the following symptoms do you experience? (1 point for each)
A. Tiredness in small tasks
B. Feeling sleepy in spite of having a good rest
C. Pale face
D. Hair falling
E. Frequent sprains or hairline fractures
F. Body aches
G. Specific muscle or part of the body hurting often
H. Muscle weakness
I. Low bone density
J. Muscle cramps
K. Chronic back, knee or neck pain
L. Low stamina
M. Slow healing of wounds
N. Drastic hormonal changes
O. Depression
P. Anxiety
Q. Osteoporosis

15 to 30: You need to test your blood and check your vitamin D levels. In all probability, it would be insufficient (dangerously low levels) or deficient (low levels). You might experience only a few or no symptoms but this can affect your health in the long run, causing chronic pain and bone issues. Step into the sun often and have vitamin D-rich foods. Additionally, get a vitamin D3 supplement.

10-15: Well done, you may not lack vitamin D, but you may have borderline deficiency. Your levels may just be enough to prevent critical diseases like osteoporosis, but you still may experience weakness, mood swings, and body aches. Increase your intake of vitamin D-rich foods and check with your nutritionist to see if you need a low-dose supplement.

1-10: Congratulations! Your vitamin D levels appear to be up to the mark. However, don’t sit back and relax. Ensure that you get enough sun to maintain the levels, as well as eat healthy, vitamin D-rich foods. If you are already on some supplement, do not stop or change the dosage without consulting an expert. The best way to check your vitamin D levels is with a blood test.

Besides all the other reasons to maintain vitamin D levels, your immune system needs vitamin D. New studies show vitamin D deficiency doubles your risk of Covid.

University of Chicago Medical Center Study (Sep 4, 2020)

In a retrospective study of patients tested for COVID-19, researchers at the University of Chicago Medicine found an association between vitamin D deficiency and the likelihood of becoming infected with the coronavirus.

“Vitamin D is important to the function of the immune system and vitamin D supplements have previously been shown to lower the risk of viral respiratory tract infections,” said David Meltzer, MD, PhD, Chief of Hospital Medicine at University of Chicago Medicine and lead author of the study. “Our statistical analysis suggests this may be true for the COVID-19 infection.”

The research team looked at 489 University of Chicago Medicine patients whose vitamin D level was measured within a year before being tested for COVID-19. Patients who had vitamin D deficiency (< 20ng/ml) that was not treated were almost twice as likely to test positive for the COVID-19 coronavirus compared to patients who had sufficient levels of the vitamin.

Half of Americans are deficient in Vitamin D, with much higher rates seen in African Americans, Hispanics and individuals living in areas like Chicago where it is difficult to get enough sun exposure in winter.

“Understanding whether treating Vitamin D deficiency changes COVID-19 risk could be of great importance locally, nationally and globally,” Meltzer said. “Vitamin D is inexpensive, generally very safe to take, and can be widely scaled.”

Red Sunrise                                       

• 1 green apple
• 1/2 small beet with leaves
• 1 cucumber, peeled if not organic

Cut produce to fit your juicer’s feed tube. Juice ingredients and stir. Serves 1.

From The Juice Lady’s Guide to Fasting