How to check if you are vitamin D deficient

It's summer! And summer means here comes the sun! But in England, many suffer from a lack of vitamin D. And to compound this, according to a Spanish study, 80% of patients hospitalised for COVID-19 are vitamin D deficient.

This vitamin plays a very important role in our body, and helps to fight osteoporosis and bone demineralisation.

Symptoms of vitamin D deficiency

• In the elderly, vitamin D deficiency can cause muscle pain and weakness.
• Vitamin D deficiency can cause abnormalities in bone development (its analysis can help in the diagnosis of rickets). One of the symptoms may therefore be an abnormally high number of fractures linked to bone fragility.
• A feeling of being unusually tired during the day can also be linked to a lack of vitamin D.

What are some natural sources of vitamin D?

The sun is the primary source of vitamin D. This is why we are more deficient in the autumn and winter. This does not mean that you have to spend hours in the sun to allow your skin to synthesise the vitamin as too much sun exposure seriously increases the risk of skin cancer.

Vitamin D can also be supplemented through a proper diet. The foods containing the most vitamin D are (in ascending order): cod liver oil (though you would have to drink a lot of it to supplement it effectively), salmon, herring, sardines, mackerel, caviar, egg yolk, butter, ham, bacon and mushrooms.

A variety of treatments are also available in pharmacies, but it is advisable to consult your doctor before starting a vitamin D treatment.