DON’T LET THE SUN GO DOWN ON ME – Vitamin D

DON’T LET THE SUN GO DOWN ON ME

At this time of year, we ITP folk in the Northern hemisphere need to consider taking a Vitamin D supplement as we say goodbye to sunny days and hence the lack of natural absorption of Vitamin D from those warming rays.

For those of us living in colder climes we are all too aware of our long Winters. That miserable time between the end of September and the beginning of April when we are starved of sunshine. All our pictures seem to fade to black and white!

Here in the UK, one of our national pastimes is talking about the weather but I am sure that few people understand the implications of a lack of sunshine on our health.

It is our reduced supply of vitamin D that is impacted by the lack of sunshine that we get during the Winter months that causes us a problem. It can have potentially dangerous implications for our health.

We can synthesise vitamin D3 in our skin from sunshine and this is our main source of vitamin D. However, in the UK and anywhere in the Northerly latitudes for that matter this is only possible in the summer months, during the hours around midday (11am-3pm), when sunshine contains sufficient UVB light (290-315 nm).

During the winter, vitamin D can only be obtained from our diet (and supplements), but only a relatively small number of foods contain vitamin D.

So why is Vitamin D important to our health and what problems can it lead to if we do not obtain enough of it? 

Vitamin D is needed for maintaining the balance of calcium and phosphorus in the body, It is essential for keeping bones and muscles healthy and to facilitate the body to take in calcium and phosphorus, which are needed for healthy teeth and bones. It also assists our immune system to fight infections, support nerve function, and help maintain muscle strength to prevent falls.

A deficiency can lead to a loss of bone density which can contribute to osteoporosis and broken bones.

Severe vitamin D deficiency can also lead to other diseases. In children, it can cause rickets which is a rare disease that causes the bones to become soft and bend. In adults, severe vitamin D deficiency leads to osteomalacia which causes weak bones, bone pain, and muscle weakness.

There are surprisingly few sources of vitamin D in our food and so without the sunshine levels that we get in our summer months we will almost certainly see our levels become low during the Winter months, unless we take a supplement.

Good sources of vitamin D from our food are –

Oily fish – such as salmon, sardines, herring and mackerel

Red meat

Liver

Egg yolks

Fortified foods – such as some fat spreads and breakfast cereals. Check the labels!

I take a vitamin D supplement during the Winter and always have done. From October 1st until May 1st, I take a 10ug vitamin D supplement tablet. This is certainly supported by Public Health England who recommend a supplement is taken during these months, when vitamin D synthesis in the skin is not possible.

SO WHO IS AT RISK ? – 

At risk groups, including people who do not often go outdoors, who reside in an institution such as a care home, or those who normally cover most or all of their skin when outdoors, should take a daily 10 microgram vitamin D supplement throughout the year.

People with dark skin, including individuals from Black and Minority Ethnic (BAME) groups (e.g. individuals of African, African-Caribbean or South Asian background), should consider taking a vitamin D supplement all year round, as they may not be able to get enough vitamin D from sunlight exposure during spring and summer.

So there we have it, when there is no sunshine because of our rainy or Winter days, we need to do something to boost our vitamin D levels. Taking a supplement of 10ug per day should be sufficient for most of us during the Winter months. This should make up for the lack of the vital vitamin D we can obtain form the sunshine we might get during the Summer. Eating a sensibly, balanced diet will also help too.

Don’t let the sun go down on me – absolutely not … one tablet per day should solve the problem.

Some useful sources of information on Vitamin D – 

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/vitamins-and-minerals/vitamin-d/

https://www.bda.uk.com/resource/vitamin-d.html

https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminD-HealthProfessional/

https://publichealthscotland.scot/media/21950/vitamin-d-and-you-in-english-december-2023.pdf