Certain vitamins and minerals are needed to keep our bodies functioning to the best of their ability. Vitamin D is one such nutrient, which is used to keep our bones and muscles healthy.
Found in exposure to sunlight, as well as certain foods, it should therefore be readily available. However, the shorter, darker days experienced by residents of the UK can make it difficult to get enough.
And data released by the Department of Health and Social Care in 2022 found that around one in six adults in the UK could be living with a vitamin D deficiency. This equates to around nine million people.
It could put them at risk for rickets, bone pain and disabilities, the government warned.
Speaking with Express.co.uk, Doctor Dave Nichols – an NHS GP and resident doctor at MyHealthChecked – shared his advice to minimise the risk of vitamin D deficiencies this winter.
He explained: “A Vitamin D deficiency can lead to problems with your bones.
“In adults, it can increase your chance of developing problems such as osteopenia or osteoporosis where your bones are weaker.
“It can also lead to bone and muscle pain and a condition called osteomalacia.
“Other less common symptoms include muscle weakness, fatigue and mood changes including depression.
“Alongside its main function, vitamin D also plays an important role in our immune system, so optimal levels help us to stay healthy.
“Vitamin D is often a symptomless deficiency at the start.
“Most people with a deficiency won’t notice any symptoms, until they have been deficient for months, and will initially complain of vague muscle or bone pain.”
How to avoid a deficiency
In the autumn and winter months we should take vitamin D supplements, he advised.
Dr Nichols said: “Most people in the UK should be able to make all the vitamin D they require from sunlight between April and September.
“This is because the body creates vitamin D from direct sunlight and UV rays on the skin when outdoors.
“From October to March, the NHS advises that we should take a vitamin D supplement containing 10 micrograms (400 units) every day, to ensure our levels remain at a suitable level.
“As vitamin D is fat-soluble it’s best absorbed when taken with food.”
To get more in your diet he recommended the best foods to eat.
“Vitamin D is also found in a small number of foods including oily fish, red meat or egg yolks but it is difficult for people to get enough vitamin D from diet alone,” Dr Nichols said.
You should also try to get outside when you can.
He added: “There is a suggestion that working from home may increase people’s risk of developing a Vitamin D deficiency as it means people are less likely to go outside.
“However, I’d recommend using the additional time saved from commuting for a short walk outside over your lunch break.”