the symptoms that warn of a lack of the mineral in the body

Vitamin D helps the body absorb calcium, But if there is a deficiency it means that the body is not receiving enough vitamin to stay healthy.

Calcium is one of the main components of bones, and therefore vitamin D also plays a role in the nervous, muscular and immune systems.

The body produces vitamin D naturally after exposure to sunlight, but if there is too much exposure, this can cause skin aging and even lead to skin cancer.

The amount of vitamin D the body needs actually depends on age. The recommended amounts, in international units (IU), are 400 IU for newborns up to 12 months, 600 IU for children between one and 13 years, 600 IU for those between 14 and 18 years.

This may be because you do not get enough vitamin D in your daily diet, you have malabsorption problems, you do not get enough exposure to sunlight, your liver or kidneys cannot convert vitamin D, or because you take medications that interfere with the ability of the body to absorb vitamin D.

Those at risk from this vitamin are babies who are breastfeeding, because human milk is not a good source of vitamin D.

Older adults, because their skin does not produce vitamin D, people with dark skin because they have less ability to produce this vitamin from the sun, and those who are obese because their body fat binds to some vitamin D and prevents it from entering the blood.

Added to this are people who have chronic kidney or liver disease, as this can affect their ability to convert vitamin D into a form that the body can use.

It can also cause rickets in children, which is a disease that causes bones to soften and bend.

Adults may develop osteomalacia, which causes weak bones, bone pain, and weakness.

Foods that can provide you with vitamin D include beef liver, cheese, salmon, tuna, and mackerel; egg yolk and mushrooms.

However, there are foods that often have vitamin D added, such as soy drinks, milk, breakfast cereals, orange juice and yogurt.

If you have too much vitamin D this can be harmful, leading to nausea, lack of appetite, constipation, weakness and weight loss.

Furthermore, very high levels of vitamin D can damage the kidneys, cause kidney failure and lead to an arrhythmia.

Please note that you cannot get excess vitamin D from sun exposure, as the skin limits the amount of vitamin D it produces.