2023-11-29 09:32:33
Muscle pain is not always the same as muscle pain. The causes can also include a deficiency of a certain vitamin. We’ll get to the bottom of this.
Muscle pain can occur in very different parts of the body. Various causes are possible. In this text we want to limit ourselves to vitamin deficiency as a trigger for physical impairments.
When do we talk about muscle pain?
At netdoktor.de Muscle pain – also called myalgia – is described as “stabbing, cramp-like, pulling, burning or pressing pain in the muscles”. In most cases, “the back, shoulder or neck area” is affected. Muscle pain could be acute or chronic.
This could be due to “harmless tension, strains or injuries” that heal on their own. If the pain is chronic, it could be due to poor posture and overuse. It is also possible that they are “an accompanying symptom of serious diseases of the muscles themselves, the nervous system, the skeleton or other organs.”
Which vitamin is missing for muscle pain?
If muscle pain is due to a lack of nutrients, the body does not have enough magnesium, calcium or vitamin D. Magnesium is loud vital.de also important for nerves and heart – if there is not enough, it has an impact on bone health and can lead to osteoporosis. Calcium is also needed for the nerves – a deficiency can lead to not only osteoporosis but also dry skin or limited mobility.
This brings us to vitamin D. The so-called sunshine vitamin strengthens bones and muscles and ensures an intact immune system. There is a risk of undersupply, especially in the dark season. Therefore, vital.de recommends getting enough vitamin D in spring and summer – i.e. in the months when the sun’s rays are strongest in Germany. The portal informs, “around 80 to 90 percent of the vitamin is produced by the body itself when UV rays hit the skin.”
How can I get enough vitamin D?
A rule of thumb, which the pharmacy review supports, is to spend five to 25 minutes in the sun a day. However, this value depends on factors such as “skin type, time of year and day, weather, clothing or the use of sun protection”. In addition, due to the geographical location in Germany, sunlight between October and March is not sufficient to absorb enough vitamin D.
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The body can store vitamin D from the summer months for use in the less sunny months. But a healthy and conscious diet is even more important. However, according to the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), there are only a few foods that contain a significant amount of vitamin D – these include fatty sea fish, certain offal, edible mushrooms or eggs. Alternatively, you can use dietary supplements or fortified foods.
However, caution is advised: While an overdose due to sun exposure is not possible, excessive intake of vitamin D supplements can have consequences. First of all, the pharmacy survey mentions nausea, abdominal cramps, vomiting and kidney damage; in the long term, poisoning cannot be ruled out because the body stores the sunshine vitamin.
When is a vitamin D deficiency spoken of?
According to the RKI, this is the case “if vitamin D is missing in the body over a longer period of time and clinically relevant symptoms occur”. These include rickets or osteomalacia – i.e. damage to the bones. However, it should be noted that vitamin D serum levels are subject to strong seasonal fluctuations. A value that is too low once does not have to be an indication of a long-term deficiency of the sunshine vitamin.
Medically, a possible deficiency can be detected by taking a vitamin D test from a doctor.
Which people are particularly at risk for vitamin D deficiency?
Here the RKI primarily mentions people who rarely spend time outdoors. These can also be immobile, chronically ill or people in need of care. Regardless of this, older people are “generally at risk because their own production of vitamin D decreases with increasing age” and, on top of that, they “usually eat less food, so that less vitamin D is also supplied through their diet.”
There is also an increased risk for infants “as they should not be exposed to direct sunlight”. The RKI also mentions “people who, for religious or cultural reasons, only go outdoors with their skin covered, as well as people with darker skin.” The latter is due to the fact that skin with higher pigmentation allows less UV rays to pass through.
For another reason, people with chronic gastrointestinal, liver or kidney diseases are also at risk – if they take medications that impair vitamin D metabolism.
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