How Important Is Vitamin D During Winter?

Pub quiz, what percentage of the UK population are deficient or insufficient in Vitamin D during the Winter months?

I bet you will be surprised……keep reading and I’ll tell you at the end.

Let’s start with where we get our main source of Vitamin D. You got it, the Sun!

Take a minute to appreciate that, a star 150 million km from Earth, with its light taking 8 minutes to reach us is used to convert one of the key nutrients we need to survive. How cool are our bodies? Just like a plant cannot thrive without sunlight, neither can we.

What does it then do in your body, is it really that important? Well, I will let you decide. It keeps your bones, teeth and muscles healthy, it helps your immune system create resistance, boosts your energy levels and enhances your mood. If you check out the numerous studies showing the improvement in populations that take a good quality supplement, identifying the reduction of heart disease, reduced cases of flu and even more recently the symptoms of COVID.

So, what can you do to boost it during these winter months when there is little to no sun? Well, there are foods that have Vitamin D in naturally, such as:

• Cod liver oil

• Rainbow trout

• Salmon

• White mushrooms (exposed to the sun)

• Eggs

There are foods that are fortified (have it added to it) like cereals, yogurts, and cheese. Supplementation is also a great way to boost those levels, it’s known as sunshine in a bottle.

Please remember if you buy supermarket brands, they are commonly low in Vitamin D – 400iu or 10 ug. Just as a comparison, we can generate up to 10-20,000iu (250-500ug) from just 30 minutes of sunlight in the summer at peak times. You need to make sure you do your due diligence when it comes to supplementing with Vitamin D, use a good quality brand. I would recommend the brand ‘Nutri’ which is the brand we stock at Epoch in liquid form. Also make sure your body needs it with a quick test that you can pick up from a pharmacist or amazon, if you need any support with this, then please ask in practice or in the comments below this post.

Okay, back to my original question what percentage of the UK population are deficient or insufficient in Vitamin D during the Winter months? It’s a Whopping 87%! (Blood levels under 75nmol/L).

Next time you hear someone sneeze and you hear them mention that winter is coming, think for a moment. Is it really that Winter is coming? Or maybe, just maybe, it might be related to the lack of sun and how our immune system is reliant on Vitamin D. I hope that leaves you pondering…

With love,

John