lifestyle

Brits In The Dark About Sunshine Vitamin

Photo by Elijah Hail on Unsplash

With winter here and our daylight hours dwindling, one in five adults and one in six children in the UK currently experience vitamin D deficiency. Research by LloydsPharmacy has revealed that as a nation, we are also experiencing confusion around Vitamin D and has prescribed a dose of general knowledge to help us prepare for and survive this winter with the help of a simple online quiz.

Vitamin D plays a vital role in how our bodies function properly,

According to LloydsPharmacy’s findings, over half of Brits (59%) believe the best source of Vitamin D is sunlight, but less than a third (32%) understand how Vitamin D can benefit our overall health. More than a quarter (26%) do not know what symptoms could indicate a deficiency, and one in ten (11%) UK adults do not know what the best sources of Vitamin D are.

“Vitamin D is naturally made by the skin when it comes into direct contact with sunlight, however between October and early March it is difficult for our bodies to produce enough on our own.

The survey revealed that men are less certain than women when it comes to understanding of Vitamin D with only 28% feeling confident in their knowledge of the benefits, compared to 36% of women. Only two in five (40%) of those surveyed take a vitamin D supplement daily. Of those, the main reasons for taking the vitamin were as part of a health and fitness routine (34%), not getting a lot of natural sunlight (30%) and, to combat tiredness and fatigue (25%).

Top symptoms that Brits are aware of include Fatigue (47%), Bone pain (28%) and Muscle weakness (28%), however symptoms can also include getting sick regularly and in some cases can cause bone and lower back pain.

Anshu Kaura, LloydsPharmacy Pharmacist said:
“Vitamin D is naturally made by the skin when it comes into direct contact with sunlight, however between October and early March it is difficult for our bodies to produce enough on our own. Vitamin D plays a vital role in how our bodies function properly, it helps with absorption and regulation of calcium and phosphorus from the foods we eat to support bone, teeth and muscle health.

“We know there is a lot of confusion around vitamin D and LloydsPharmacy is here to help, not only are our pharmacists on hand to answer questions and give advice about supplements, we’ve created an online quiz so you can test your knowledge and learn more about this important vitamin. Visit the online tool and see if you are getting enough, or if you may need a little extra support, we’ve got some tips to help.”

https://lloydspharmacy.com/pages/vitamins-supplements