Low mood and back pain are signs of a vitamin deficiency that could cause rickets in kids.
The body needs vitamins to work properly and stay healthy. Most people get all the nutrients they need through a varied and balance diet, according to the NHS, but in the case of vitamin D, our bodies create it from direct sunlight on the skin outside.
Vitamin D helps regulate the amount of calcium and phosphate in the body, nutrient which keep bones, teeth and muscles healthy. The problem is, the UK gets such little sunlight in autumn and winter, there's only a period of roughly six months from late March to September when the sun is strong enough for most people to get the vitamin D they need.
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Without enough vitamin D, children can develop bone deformities like rickets, and adults can experience bone pain caused by a condition called osteomalacia, according to the NHS. Signs you might be vitamin D deficient include:
- Muscle aches and pain
- Bone and lower back pain
- Tiredness and fatigue
- Getting ill regularly
- Wounds or injuries taking longer to heal
- Low mood and depression
- Hair loss
You can get vitamin D from foods like egg yolks, liver, red meat, fortified foods including some fat spreads and breakfast cereals, and oily fish including salmon, sardines, herring and mackerel. Cows' milk is a good source of vitamin D in countries where it's fortified, but this is generally not the case in the UK.
It's difficult to get enough vitamin D just from your diet, so the NHS said: "Everyone , including pregnant and breastfeeding women, should consider taking a daily supplement containing 10 micrograms of vitamin D during the autumn and winter."
The NHS website advises people at high risk of not getting enough vitamin D, all babies consuming less than 500ml of infant formula , and all kids aged one to four, should take a daily supplement throughout the year.
The Department of Health and Social Care recommends adults and kids over four take a daily supplement containing 10 micrograms of vitamin D throughout the year if they aren't often outdoors, are in an institution like a care home, or wear clothes covering most of their skin. People with dark skin may also not make enough vitamin D from sunlight.
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