Vitamin D

Vitamin D is an often misunderstood essential vitamin.

About Vitamin D

It is thought that 50% of adults in the UK are deficient in Vitamin D and this figure only increases during the dark months of the winter.

Although most people understand the need for children to have enough Vitamin D for healthy bone growth, but most adults are unaware that Vitamin D is crucial for them in so many ways.

Most of our Vitamin D is made within our bodies when sunlight is absorbed through the skin. Sunlight through a window does not count nor does wearing sunscreen or clothing.

Vitamin D is made when the sun, shining on the skin, reacts with cholesterol to produce Vitamin D. This is then carried in your blood to your liver and kidneys where it is further processed.

Why We Need Vitamin D

Vitamin D deficiency is not just about Ricketts in children – adults also need Vitamin D.

Did you know:

• Vitamin D is a vital part of your immune system and helps you fight off diseases like the common cold.
• A study has shown that Vitamin D might be a major factor in keeping the brain active in later life.
• Athletes who take Vitamin D supplements perform better.
• Vitamin D can extend live expectancy.
• It is thought that over 50% of adults in the UK are deficient in Vitamin D. In the winter this can go up to 1 in 6 people being Vitamin D deficient.
• Adequate Vitamin D can help prevent some cancers.
• People with an adequate, regular Vitamin D intake have lower abdominal body fat so it can help fight heart disease, diabetes, stroke and hypertension.

How to Get Vitamin D

A few foods contain Vitamin D – oily fish (eg. salmon, mackerel, sardines, tuna), eggs, dried shiitake mushrooms and it is added to many breakfast cereals and spreads.

Skin colour has a significant effect on vitamin D production from the sun. The Harvard School of Public Health says that a dark-skinned person may need 3 hours of sunlight to meet their vitamin D needs while someone with light skin may need only 45 minutes.

In many cases a 15-minute daily walk in the sun can ensure you are getting a sufficient daily dose of vitamin D.

Testing for Vitamin D deficiency

It is normally hard to get a Vitamin D test from a GP or health practitioner because Vitamin D deficiency is often only obvious when the symptoms have become very serious.   However, you can now buy a test online from myrios for £37.50, which give you laboratory testing in your own home.

This is a new concept for most people in Britain, but it gives you real freedom to take control of your care pathway from the comfort of your own home.

myrios testing kits can be purchased online by clicking here.