It’s Sun Awareness Week and people are getting more vitamin D thanks to the sunshine and bright skies.
Trying to maintain a healthy diet and lifestyle can seem difficult, but ensuring you have enough Vitamin D can make all the difference.
It can help protect you from catching a cold, and even give you more energy.
This last point is one of the most important because it is often the most overlooked. Many may not even realise just how tired they are day to day, or even think it’s normal.
However, prolonged and sustained tiredness is often the cause of a vitamin D deficiency.
Long term this symptom can affect your day to day life, making in dangerous to drive and do normal activities. The NHS has tips on how to ensure you don't become deficient.
What is Vitamin D?
Vitamin D helps regulate the amount of calcium and phosphate in the body, essential nutrients to help keep bones, teeth and muscles healthy
The government advises the public to take a daily vitamin D supplement during the autumn and winter months.
This is because in the UK it is far less likely to naturally absorb vitamin D from the sun.
However, from late March to early September, most people should be able to make enough vitamin D naturally.
Why does Vitamin D deficiency cause fatigue?
Low vitamin D leads to bone abnormalities which directly causes reduced muscle growth and strength.
This has an impact on the functioning of skeletal muscles via vitamin D receptors.
Essentially, low levels of vitamin D cause bone problems, weakened muscle strength and reduced functioning across the body.
The results leave you feeling tired faster, even when doing basic tasks.
How much Vitamin D should you take?
Vitamin D intake is calculated by micrograms and sometimes written with the Greek symbol μ followed by the letter g (μg).
Make sure to check how the amount of vitamin D is written on labels because it can vary.
Typically, the amount of vitamin D is expressed as International Units (IU).
1 microgram of vitamin D is equal to 40 IU. So, 10 micrograms of vitamin D is the same as 400 IU.
As stated on the NHS website: “Children from the age of 1 year and adults need 10 micrograms of vitamin D a day. This includes pregnant and breastfeeding women, and people at risk of vitamin D deficiency.
“Babies up to the age of 1 year need 8.5 to 10 micrograms of vitamin D a day. A microgram is 1,000 times smaller than a milligram (mg).”
What are good sources of vitamin D?
Other than taking supplements to get that added vitamin D, there are plenty of natural ways to boost your consumption.
As stated on the NHS website, these include:
- oily fish – such as salmon, sardines, herring and mackerel
- red meat
- liver
- egg yolks
- fortified foods – such as some fat spreads and breakfast cereals
Cows’ milk is not a good source of vitamin D in the UK as it is typically not fortified with it.
If you think you might have vitamin D deficiency, make sure you contact your GP.