Those who live in the Erie area, like many people who live up north, are at a higher risk of experiencing low vitamin D.
Erie is both far from the equator and experiences many cloudy days, making it harder for those who live there to get adequate sun absorption, causing many to become deficient and experience things such as muscle pain, low mood and fatigue.
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And while milder symptoms are typically easy to reverse, chronic low vitamin D can be life-threatening, causing long-term conditions like osteoporosis.
And one doctor said that managing your vitamin D levels is essential for bone loss prevention, which is extremely important, especially for women.
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“Sixty percent of hip fractures are women and of those hip fractures, 25 to 30% of women will not survive the first year after a hip fracture,” said Dr. Rebbecca Hertel of UPMC Family Medicine. “A frustration for me as a clinician that we are just not being more aggressive about adequate bone health for women because it has such a high morbidity and mortality rate if a woman falls and fractures a hip.”
Aside from getting direct sunlight, you can sustain healthy vitamin D levels through a balanced diet and supplementation.
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