Vitamin D

Home / Page / Vitamin D

Vitamin D is important to maintain good health.

There are studies to show the benefits of Vitamin D. An adequate amount of vitamin D can improve bone strength, mental health, skin disorders including psoriasis, and reduce the risk of developing high blood pressure and heart disease.

Our body can only produce vitamin D when exposed to sunlight and UV. It is said that we need a daily amount of 1,000 IU of vitamin D to maintain good health. We are able to increase our intake of vitamin D with multivitamins, supplements and through vitamin D rich foods but this often does not achieve the required amount.

Vitamin D Deficiency

Age

It is harder to produce enough vitamin D as we get older and the rate of vitamin D production reduces significantly as we age.

Lifestyle

Spending time indoors during daylight hours reduces our exposure to UV & decreases the production of vitamin D.

Location

Living in the UK, with shorter days during the winter, our exposure to UV is reduced making us more susceptible to vitamin D deficiency.

Diseases

Certain diseases such as Crohn’s and cystic fibrosis are more susceptible to vitamin D deficiency as they cannot efficiently absorb vitamin D from diet or supplements.

Vitamin D levels in winter

Due to the reduced exposure to natural sunlight and UV in the winter we are unable to produce enough vitamin D but if we are exposed to the sun between May and October then the excess vitamin D produced is stored in the body and released during the winter.