If you are tired, feel sore, and do not sleep well, this may be a sign of vitamin D deficiency.
Vitamin D is important for maintaining calcium and keeping our bones and muscles healthy, but it can be more difficult to get enough in autumn and winter.
That’s what the Mirror writes .
The “sunshine nutrient” helps the body absorb and use calcium and phosphorus, which are essential for maintaining strong and healthy bones and teeth, as well as supporting the heart.
Vitamin D is also important for blood clotting, strengthening the immune system, and muscle growth.
Experts recommend that everyone should take a daily 10-microgram vitamin D supplement, as the nutrient cannot usually be obtained from food in sufficient quantities – with Britons often not getting the sunlight needed to maintain blood levels.
There are nine symptoms of a vitamin D deficiency that people can look out for. According to the University Nebraska University Health Center, they are:
- Fatigue
- Not sleeping well
- Leg pain or tenderness
- Depression or feelings of sadness
- Hair loss
- Muscle weakness
- Lost appetite
- Gets sick more easily
- Pale skin
People don’t get enough vitamin D
Last month it was reported that a third of Britons are not getting enough vitamin D, according to a survey.
A research review by the Health & Food Supplements Information Service (HSIS), published in The Food and Nutrition Journal, has shed light on the growing evidence pointing to the importance of the sunshine nutrient to our health and well-being.
They also found worrying gaps in vitamin D levels, with research showing that among 210,502 patients who had a vitamin D test, a third were deficient (with deficiency identified as a blood level below 30 nanomoles (nmol per liter).
Nutritionist and co-author of the research Dr. Pamela Mason said: “Closing the gap between vitamin D intake and recommendations is a necessity to prevent deficiency and maintain bone and muscle health, especially to prevent nutritional rickets and osteomalacia (bone softening).”
Many factors
Part of the vitamin D we need comes from sun exposure. But as HSIS GP Dr Nisa Aslam explains:
– Sun exposure is also the cause of sunburn and the risk of skin cancer. Seasons, time of day, day length, cloud cover, air pollution, skin melanin content, and sunscreen are among the factors that affect UV radiation exposure and vitamin D skin synthesis. “
She adds: “Sunscreen appears to block the synthesis of vitamin D, but people typically don’t apply adequate amounts of sunscreen, cover all sun-exposed skin, or use sunscreen regularly, so some synthesis will occur, but there has been little consensus about how much.” “
