HEALTH AND WELLBEING: Are you getting enough Vitamin D?

WE’RE well and truly in the middle of winter with cold, damp and gloomy weather all around us. I’ve been leaving for the surgery in the dark and returning in the dark for a couple of months now, and I’m sure most people in Rotherham are experiencing the same. Can you remember the last time you got some good sunshine? Unless you’ve been on holiday in sunnier climates! In winter, we spend a lot of time without sunshine and more time inside where we can keep warm; sun through a window doesn’t count! As a result, we’re all missing out on the sun’s greatest gift - Vitamin D. Vitamin D is vital to regulate the amount of calcium and phosphate in our body, both of which are vital for the growth and maintenance of our healthy bones, teeth and muscles. Without Vitamin D we don’t absorb enough calcium, which can lead to ‘rickets’ in children and ‘Osteomalcia’ (causing severe bone pain and muscle aches) in adults.

During spring and summer the majority of people make enough vitamin D from sunlight absorbed through their skin. And no, you don’t need to sunbathe. You just need around 5-10 minutes sun exposure a day and be bare below the elbows and knees. However in the winter, we have shorter days minimising the chances for sun exposure therefore most of the population in England is likely to be deficient of Vitamin D. My advice would be for everyone to consider taking a Vitamin D tablet daily. The daily requirement for Vitamin D is 10 micrograms, but it is a good idea to take 10-12.5 micrograms (one tablet) per day. To avoid confusion micrograms are sometimes written as mcg or µg on packaging, but are all the same thing.

You can buy these tablets from as little as 90p for 100 tablets at local shops or pharmacy, which would last three months. On prescription it would cost the NHS £6 for just one month’s supply. This cost difference is massive and meant the NHS in Rotherham saved £750,000 on Vitamin D in 2015/16.

Some of us are more at risk of a Vitamin D deficiency than others; pregnant and breastfeeding women, children under five years of age, people over 65 and housebound people being more at-risk. African, African-Caribbean and South Asian people are also more at risk of deficiency due to their skin colour and are advised to take a daily dose of 20 micrograms (two tablets).

So, next time you’re out shopping, look out for Vitamin D tablets and help look after your precious bones not just over this winter but for the rest of your life.