Are you getting enough Vitamin D?

Vitamin D is essential for our health and well-being. Vitamin D is mostly made in the skin by exposure to sunlight.

Between October and early March we don’t get enough sunlight, hence not enough Vitamin D.

A lack of vitamin D can lead to bone deformities such as rickets in children, and bone pain caused by a condition called osteomalacia in adults.

Common Symptoms of Vitamin D Deficiency

• Bones can feel painful to moderate pressure. Bone pain often also occurs in the lower back, hips, pelvis, thighs and feet.

• Muscle weakness may cause difficulty in climbing stairs or getting up from the floor or a low chair, or can lead to the person walking with a waddling pattern.

• Muscle pain

• Fatigue and tiredness

• Depression

• Impaired wound healing

• Hair loss

• Greater risk of developing conditions such as diabetes, heart diseases, certain cancers and possibly weight gain.

Who is at Risk of Vitamin D Deficiency?

1. Not exposed to much sunlight, for example, if you:

• Are housebound

• Stay indoors for long periods, such as if in a hospital or working indoors much of the day

• Cover up your skin for cultural or other reasons.

2. People who have darker skin, which will naturally reduce the amount of sunlight reaching the skin

3. Men and women aged 65 years and above as older skin may not make as much vitamin D

4. Pregnant or breast feeding women, especially teenagers and young women

5. Children under 5 years of age

6. Some medical conditions can affect the way the body handles vitamin D. People with Crohn’s disease, coeliac disease, and some types of liver and kidney disease, are all at risk of vitamin D deficiency

7. Vitamin D deficiency can also occur in people taking certain medicines. Examples include: carbamazepine, phenytoin, primidone, barbiturates and some anti-HIV medicines
   

How can I prevent vitamin D deficiency?

In the UK, it’s now recommended that everyone aged 1 year or over should be getting at least 10 micrograms (400 IU) a day of vitamin D.

1. Sunlight 

In the UK, sunlight is only bright enough to make useful amounts of vitamin D from April to October and between 11am to 3pm

2. Food sources

Vitamin D can be found in some foods, but is usually only present in small amounts, so dietary sources are unlikely to provide enough.

Some vitamin D can be found in oily fish (such as kippers, sardines, mackerel, trout and salmon), meat and eggs.

A few foods have vitamin D added to them, such as some margarine and low fat spreads, some breakfast cereals, powdered milks, dairy and soya products.

In the UK, cows’ milk is generally not a good source of vitamin D because it isn’t fortified, as it is in some other countries.

3. Supplements containing vitamin D

If you are in an at-risk group, a daily dose of 10 to 25 micrograms (400 – 1000IU) vitamin D is recommended, unless your doctor advises otherwise.

It is important that you are not already taking vitamin D in another product, such as a multi-vitamin, combination with calcium, cod liver oil – so always check labels carefully. Speak to your pharmacist if not sure.

You can buy vitamin D supplements from from the pharmacy, supermarkets or health food shops.