Get the Well Enough newsletter by Emilie Lavinia and make sense of the wild world of wellnessGet our wellbeing editor’s newsletter: Well Enough by Emilie LaviniaGet the Well Enough email by Emilie LaviniaYou’ve heard of vitamin D – it’s the supplement that experts all agree we could do with taking, especially during the winter. However, this is because vitamin D is not technically a vitamin, it’s a hormone. Specifically a hormone manufactured by our bodies in response to sun exposure – so when the days are shorter and darker, we make less of it. We can also top up our levels by eating foods that contain Vitamin D, but we tend to only get about 10 per cent of our intake through food. So what happens if sunlight is limited and only 10 percent – or probably less – of your total Vitamin D is coming from your meals? The NHS advises that: “a lack of vitamin D can lead to bone deformities such as rickets in children, and bone pain caused by a condition called osteomalacia in adults.” This is because vitamin D helps the body regulate calcium and phosphate levels and keeps bones, teeth and muscles healthy. It also helps to regulate our mood and our sleep. Low levels have been linked to mood disorders such as anxiety and depression and a lack of this essential hormone can contribute to the symptoms of seasonal affective disorder (SAD) which, according to the Royal College of Psychiatrists, affects three per cent of the population. The NHS puts the figure at somewhere between one in 20 people which is closer to five per cent. The NHS also advises that while you can have too much vitamin D, you’re probably more likely to be vitamin D deficient – especially if you’re not supplementing it during the winter months in the UK. However, unless you’re experiencing clear symptoms of deficiency, it can be hard to know whether your levels are sub-optimal, healthy or indeed, too high.I asked a team of experts to explain what causes vitamin D deficiency, the important signs to look out for, and the dangers involved with not getting enough and having too much. I also asked them how to monitor levels and the best and safest ways to get more vitamin D, depending on your needs, your lifestyle and your health status. Read on for the facts and the best ways to maintain your levels to stay healthy and happy this winter.What causes vitamin D deficiency?There are several causes for vitamin D deficiency. These range from ageing to diet and disease. As sunlight is our main natural source of vitamin D, short winter days and cloud cover are one of the primary causes of a drop in our vitamin D levels. Nutritionist Maz Packhamfounder of Nourishful Nutrition, explains that: “we synthesise vitamin D in the skin in response to UV light – more specifically to UVB – so, it’s not surprising many of us in the UK are deficient or have insufficient levels due to seasonal factors.” However, baking in the sun with no protection is not necessarily the safest way to top up your levels as this can cause skin damage and potentially lead to issues like sunburn and heatstroke in the short term and skin cancer in the long term. Dermatologists agree that while SPF does block some UVB it doesn’t block enough to interfere with Vitamin D levels drastically so you should still wear it to protect your skin from sun damage year round. Nutritional therapist Eve Kalinik points out that though we experience fewer daylight hours in the UK during the winter and this directly impacts our vitamin D levels, “even those living in sunnier climes might be deficient.” This is why individualised testing is so important. According to the National Institutes of Health, individuals with darker skin are more likely to have lower vitamin D levels than those with lighter skin. This is all to do with the level of melanin in the skin. Individuals with lighter skin tones have less melanin and this allows them to absorb UVB radiation more efficiently and produce vitamin D more effectively than those with more melanin. Your level of deficiency could depend on where in the world you are, your exposure to daylight, your skin tone and your lifestyle.Read more: How to know if a supplement is any good – what works and what doesn’t?Some groups are also at a higher risk of deficiency than others. “Vitamin D plays a role in reproduction and glucose balance,” explains Hannah Alderson, a registered BANT nutritionist and hormone specialist. She explains that for this reason, people with diabetes and those with hormonal conditions such as PCOS (polycystic ovary syndrome) are more likely to experience deficiency. “The prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in women with PCOS is around 67-85 per cent,” she says. While in the elderly, the prevalence of deficiency sits at around 37 per cent for those 60 year and upwards, according to a 2019 study. The numbers could well be higher post covid. While it is possible to source some vitamin D through diet, it will be a small amount. However, some diets might be totally lacking if certain foods aren’t incorporated. Alderson advises that, “we can get a little from food – such as mushrooms, oily fish, dairy, and eggs – but that’s not really going to cut it.”Still, it’s important to incorporate vitamin D-rich foods year round to ensure we’re eating a varied diet filled with essential nutrients. Kalinik explains that, “some people suffer from a lack of absorption as a result of poor gut health and/or conditions such as Crohn’s and coeliac disease,” and this makes it even harder to top up vitamin D from food. She adds that “Some groups are just [more] vulnerable to vitamin D deficiency, like those of a certain age, or those with darker skin.”Read more: ‘Hormone balancing’ isn’t really a thing, says Dr Zoe Williams – here’s what to do insteadVitamin D supplements come in a variety of doses and forms (Getty Images)What are the signs of vitamin D deficiency?Deficiency can show up in many ways. Kalinik says, first and foremost, an unexplained “susceptibility to infections and viruses” might be a sign, given that vitamin D is a crucial component of robust immune function. Signs of deficiency may also present as, “bone pain or muscle weakness (since vitamin D helps with the balance of calcium in the body) or even low mood and fatigue, which can often be associated with SAD.”Feeling tired is one of the symptoms people tend to notice first. However, during winter, the clocks changing, disrupted sleep or possibly other health considerations like hormonal fluctuations can mask vitamin D deficiency. Symptoms can domino into one another and fatigue can lead to frequent illness, low mood and weight gain. Bone loss can also become osteoporosis and osteomalacia, increasing the risk of fractures and breaks – this can be a life-threatening issue in later life. In severe cases of deficiency, seizures can occur.What should I do if I’m vitamin D deficient?The first thing you could do to find out if you’re vitamin D deficient is try an at-home blood test – they’re readily available and give a good indication of your current status. A blood test can also let you know exactly how deficient you are. For a more comprehensive view of your nutrient deficiencies and any hormone issues, as well as any damage done by prolonged deficiency, it’s best to visit your GP or a qualified healthcare provider for testing. Your doctor can advise on the best dose of vitamin D to take for best results and advise on any other medications and lifestyle changes that might be needed. Some vitamin D supplements are stronger than others, so if your levels are only slightly below the recommended level, you might only need a low dose of vitamin D. For other people, a much higher dose might be needed. Vitamin D supplements contain either vitamin D2 also known as ergocalciferol or vitamin D3, known as cholecalciferol. Vitamin D3 is often derived from animal sources like lanolin – which comes from sheep’s wool and some consider not suitable for vegans – while vitamin D2 is derived from plant sources like fungi or yeast. Taking the wrong dose of vitamin D can have adverse effects because it is possible to take too much. “It’s very hard to get vitamin D poisoning, but it is possible because it’s a fat-soluble vitamin,” says Alderson. This means that if you take a lot of it, it can build up in the body and potentially become toxic. This is something to watch out for with a variety of supplements, she explains. If in doubt regarding your dosage, check in with your doctor to arrange a test or ask them to explain the results of your at-home test to you. You can take a supplement containing vitamin D while pregnant and there aren’t many medicines that supplements will interact with. However, it’s important to be mindful about the other supplements you’re taking. Taking large doses of different minerals, like calcium, zinc and magnesium, at the same time as vitamin D can lead to what’s known as “mineral competition” where nutrients compete for absorption in the gut. Packham adds that along with taking supplements, you can try to increase your levels of vitamin D by upping your exposure to direct sunlight. “Aim for 25 to 30 minutes in the midday sun, as levels are more abundant when the sun is highest in the sky, making the vitamin D synthesising process more efficient.” The experts all advise making sure oily fish, red meat and egg yolks are a part of your diet. However, all experts concede that even if you took all of the steps above, supplementing with vitamin D supplements from a trusted brand is in all likelihood going to be the way to go, especially during the winter months in the UK.Read more: The health benefits of chia seeds, according to experts
Source link
How to know if you’re vitamin D deficient and what to do about it
