What is Vitamin D?
Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin your skin makes when exposed to sunlight. It helps your body absorb calcium and phosphorus, keeping bones, teeth and muscles healthy. It also plays a role in immunity.
This article is educational. Always confirm deficiency with a blood test before self-supplementing — excess Vitamin D can cause toxicity.
Symptoms of deficiency
- Persistent fatigue and low energy
- Bone or lower-back pain
- Muscle weakness or cramps
- Frequent infections (low immunity)
- Slow wound healing
- Hair loss (in severe cases)
- Depressed mood
Causes & risk factors
Deficiency is common in India despite abundant sunlight — largely because of indoor lifestyles, air pollution blocking UVB, darker skin (more melanin = less synthesis), and full-coverage clothing.
- Limited sun exposure (indoor work, night shifts)
- Darker skin tone — needs more UVB to make the same Vitamin D
- Ageing — skin synthesis drops after 50
- Obesity — Vitamin D gets sequestered in fat tissue
- Kidney or liver disease — impairs activation
- Strict sunscreen use
How is it diagnosed?
A 25-hydroxy Vitamin D blood test is the standard. Levels are interpreted as: <20 ng/mL = deficient, 20–30 = insufficient, 30–100 = sufficient, >100 = potentially toxic.
Treatment & supplementation
Treatment depends on severity. Mild deficiency is usually corrected with a 6–8 week course of high-dose Vitamin D3 (60,000 IU weekly), followed by a daily maintenance dose. Always follow your doctor's prescription.
Vitamin D3 60K is a prescription medicine. Upload your prescription at checkout — our pharmacist will verify it before dispatch.
References
- 1. ICMR-NIN — Vitamin D status in the Indian population
- 2. Endocrine Society — Evaluation, Treatment, and Prevention of Vitamin D Deficiency (2011)
- 3. AIIMS Clinical Guidelines — Bone Health