There are a few simple ways to identify if you're suffering from a lack of vitamin D.
The compound is produced in the body naturally by being out in the sunlight, but as the winter nights draw it can be difficult to keep levels where they should be.
Vitamin D is essential for the immune system, with recent studies highlighting the role it plays in defending against primary infections with viruses, reports the Express.
Figures released earlier this year revealed up to 40 per cent of the UK population has a severe vitamin D deficiency, with levels plummeting during lockdown.
But there is a sign that could tip you off that you could be among those needing more vitamin D - and that's pins and needles in your hands and feet.
Known as paraesthesia, pins and needles is abnormal burning or prickling sensations in the arms, hands, legs or feet.
The NHS says: “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."
Vitamin D also helps the body absorb the right amount of phosphate and calcium, both of which are important for building and repairing bones.
Steve Jones, emeritus professor of human genetics at University College London (UCL), told The Times: “[Vitamin D] is unique from all other vitamins, which just fill a gap in some pathway in the body, taking part in biochemical reactions. Vitamin D actually controls many of the functions of the body: from the lungs to the heart to the brain, you’ll find vitamin D hard at work.”
As cases of flu risk soaring during the winter, keeping the body’s immune system in good condition is more important than ever.
People usually make enough vitamin D during the summer through exposure to sunlight. In the winter, however, vitamin D has to come from food, and it can be difficult to ingest the recommended amount.
“From about late March/early April to the end of September, most people should be able to make all the vitamin D they need from sunlight,” explains the NHS. “But from October and early March, we do not make enough vitamin D from sunlight.”
During the winter months, individuals can source their vitamin D from oily fish, red meat, liver, egg yolks, and fortified foods.
“In the UK, cow’s milk is generally not a good source of vitamin D because it is not fortified, as it is in some other countries,” adds the health body.
Dietary supplements are sometimes prescribed to those who are deficient. Over-supplementation of vitamin D, however, can be just as harmful and should be avoided.
For more stories from where you live, visit InYourArea.
