NHS encourages us to up vitamin D intake
With summer holidays getting cancelled and the hot summer days in the UK feeling a long-distance memory, the NHS are encouraging people to take vitamin D supplements due to lockdown and poor weather.
The NHS has recommended people need to consider taking 10 micrograms of vitamin D a day to keep your bones, hair and muscles healthy.*
Have you been feeling lethargic, short of energy, facing mood swings, muscle pains, or seeing a lot of hair loss recently?
A new study by, Scandinavian health and beauty brand, New Nordic, has revealed during lockdown 70% of Brits have found themselves feeling conscious about some part of their body. Nearly a third (32%) are feeling conscious about their hair, followed closely by one in five (21%) looking more closely at their skin and noticing a change.
This has led to almost half surveyed (45%) admitting they are worried about joint pain, followed closely by the concern of hair loss (35%) and a third (33%) worrying about their muscles weakening.
During July, Google Searches showed over 1,100 queries were made asking “Where do we get Vitamin D from?” followed by 630 searches asking: “Can you get vitamin D through a window?” which has been answered by the NHS: “Your body can't make vitamin D if you're sitting indoors by a sunny window because ultraviolet B (UVB) rays can't get through the glass.”***
What is vitamin D?
Interestingly, Vitamin D is not a vitamin but a hormone that communicates within your body through neurons. Vitamin D is required for the regulation of minerals, calcium and phosphorus found in the body. These are needed to keep bones, teeth and muscles healthy. A lack of vitamin D can lead to bone deformities such as rickets in children, and bone pain caused by a condition calledosteomalacia in adults. It also plays a vital role in maintaining proper bone structure. Vitamin D helps regulate the immune system and even in the life cycle of human cells.**
Often our bodies make Vitamin D by itself, but only after skin is exposed to sufficient sunlight, which in the UK can never be predicted.
As well as buying certain supplements such as Free To Move according to the NHS, vitamin D can also be found in a small number of foods.
These include:
- oily fish – such as salmon, sardines, herring and mackerel
- red meat
- liver
- egg yolks
- fortified foods – such as most fat spreads and some breakfast cereals
With a heatwave around the corner, it is advised if you sunbathe then you should still wear sun cream as normal, although you can’t overdose on vitamin D, over-exposure to the sun can lead to burns and other health problems.
New Nordic’s Amy Loader commented: “Now the NHS has recommended everyone in the UK should consider taking supplements, this can only be viewed as a positive to ensure people feel better about their health, especially during lockdown.
“The weather in the UK is so unpredictable, we can only support and encourage many people to take the right steps to a healthier lifestyle.”
