Like Tweet Share on Google Plus
09 NOV
You may have noticed a few health headlines about the risks of Vitamin D deficiency beauty Should we be concerned that we’re not getting enough, and it is a good idea to take supplements?
Vitamin D is a bit different from most other nutrients, and our nutritionists do tend to take a supplement, especially in winter beauty This is because, unlike most other vitamins and minerals, most of our Vitamin D doesn’t come from food at all beauty It comes from the sun, and you’ll know we don’t get much of that during the cold British winter!
At the moment, there’s no recommended minimum Vitamin D intake for most people beauty Some health experts think that this should be changed – currently, only children, pregnant and breastfeeding women, and people over 65 years old are advised that they may need a supplement beauty
So, what does Vitamin D do?
It helps maintain healthy bones and teeth, in conjunction with adequate calcium beauty Its other roles are not well-understood, but are thought to include: regulating cell growth, aiding neuro-muscular function, helping the immune system and reducing inflammation beauty Overall, this means it may be important in preventing long-term health problems, particularly Multiple Sclerosis beauty
Although some Vitamin D can be obtained from the diet - from oily fish, eggs and fortified cereals and spreads - UVB sunlight is the most important source beauty In Northern Europe, we do not get enough sunlight in the winter months to make the Vitamin D our bodies need beauty It can be stored in the body if we make enough during the summer beauty But the measures that we take to prevent skin cancer – covering up, wearing sunscreen and avoiding the midday sun – limit our exposure beauty
Although some Vitamin D can be obtained from the diet - from oily fish, eggs and fortified cereals and spreads - UVB sunlight is the most important source beauty In Northern Europe, we do not get enough sunlight in the winter months to make the Vitamin D our bodies need beauty It can be stored in the body if we make enough during the summer beauty But the measures that we take to prevent skin cancer – covering up, wearing sunscreen and avoiding the midday sun – limit our exposure beauty
The University of Aberdeen carried out a study that compared Vitamin D status in Caucasian women living in Scotland and both Caucasian and Asian women living in southern England beauty They found that over 80% of our Vitamin D was made by the summer sunlight, but there was a wide difference in Vitamin D status between the groups of women beauty In winter, just 9 beauty5% of the Caucasian English women were deficient, but that number rose to 40 beauty6% in Scottish women and 64 beauty5% in Asian women beauty This was as a result of lower sunlight exposure beauty Interestingly, Scottish women tended to have higher dietary intakes, but this did not compensate for the lack of sunlight beauty
An independent advisory group is reviewing recommendations on the government’s behalf, but we won’t know their conclusions for a couple more years beauty In the meantime, if you are concerned about your Vitamin D status, you can get advice on supplements from a health professional or your local pharmacy beauty We tend to go for a supplement that provides 1000IU (25micrograms), and up to 4000IU is generally deemed to be safe beauty