UK's Vitamins D Deficiency 'Epidemic'

New figures indicate the true level of Vitamin D deficiency in the UK, with one in nine people classed as 'deficient' and two thirds as 'severely lacking'.

* Vitamin D, also know as the 'sunshine vitamin', is generated by sunlight
* In the UK more that 70% of people spend most of their day indoors
* Deficiency can cause rickets, migraines, depression and joint pain
Vitamin D boosts the immune system, and without sufficient intake, the body's cells are not able to react and fight off serious infections in the body. But the survey by BetterYou found that 77 per cent of adults spend most of their day indoors in office jobs, seldom seeing the sunshine.

   

Over 70 per cent of people questioned in the survey for BetterYou said they spend most of their day indoors, a factor which can contribute to a deficiency in Vitamin D.   

Office lifestyles have contributed to the British vitamin D epidemic, with people spending less time in the sunshine than ever before.  

  

Common medical conditions associated with vitamin D deficiency include fatigue, bone pain, muscle pain, joint pain, migraines, skin pigmentation problems and even rickets. Many people with a vitamin D deficiency can develop Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) and may become depressed.

The findings, announced ahead of a National Vitamin D Awareness Week, suggest a massive proportion of the UK population are at risk of these debilitating symptoms.  

 

Of those diagnosed as severely deficient, 71 per cent do not take any form of supplement - highlighting a clear link between deficiency and supplementation. 

The findings come from a survey by health pioneers BetterYou, who are supporting National Vitamin D Awareness Week, which aims to raise public understanding of the dangers of deficiency.

Andrew Thomas, founder and managing director at BetterYou, said: 'Our findings further confirm what we have long suspected, that our nation is far more deficient in vitamin D than we would care to admit.   
'Almost ninety per cent of people interviewed provided either classic symptoms of advanced vitamin D deficiency or listed multiple lifestyle conditions which would predispose them to be deficient. These include a combination of having darker skin pigmentation, spending daylight hours indoors and excessive use of UV sun cream.

'These findings simply reinforce our support of the UK's first National Vitamin D Awareness Week. 
The subject has been discussed in the House of Commons, leading to "at risk" groups being identified and supplementation recommendations made by our Department of Health.

Earlier this year the Chief Medical Officer for England, Dame Sally Davies announced her concerns to health professionals regarding a rise in vitamin D-related conditions, asking them to consider vitamin D supplementation for at risk groups, including pregnant mothers.

Following this, it was announced by Labour MP Kate Green in September, that cases of rickets have increased more than 400 per cent since 1996.

National Vitamin D Awareness Week runs from Monday 29 October to Sunday 4 November.

Vitamin D supplementation helps to prevent Vitamin D deficiency which is important as the vitamin is a factor in the maintenance of good health.
 

Furthermore Vitamin D helps in the
• development and maintenance of bones.
• development and maintenance of teeth.
• absorption and use of calcium and phosphorus.

It has generally been thought that if you get enough time in the sun and eat a diet with foods like Vitamin D fortified milk, deficiency will not be a problem. However, many factors come into play when it comes to your body receiving UV exposure to the sun and processing that into vitamin D in the body.

Things like time spent in the sun, age, genetics, use of UV-blocking sunscreens, and even where you live can all have an effect.

Maintenance of Good Health
Vitamin D is an important factor in the maintenance of good health. Furthermore Vitamin D helps in the development and maintenance of bones and teeth, and the absorption and use of calcium and phosphorus.

Anti-Ageing
Anti-Ageing Researchers theorise that inflammation and oxidative stress play roles in the ageing process, and that Vitamin D decreases the levels of compounds that may cause inflammation in the body.
Findings from a study published in 2007 suggest that Vitamin D may play a part in slowing the ageing process and the onset of age-related diseases. They concluded that:

“The results demonstrate for the first time that people who have higher levels of Vitamin D may age more slowly than people with lower levels of Vitamin D...”