National Vitamin D Awareness Week

More needs to be done to combat the UK’s growing vitamin D "epidemic", after NHS testing revealed up to a third of the population could be deficient.

Thirty per cent of more than 500 people who checked their levels using BetterYou’s vitamin D home testing service by Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospital NHS Trust, were found to have inadequate levels of the sunshine vitamin, meaning millions could be at risk of deficiency if the results were applied on a national scale.

Health pioneers BetterYou say the true problem is probably even more severe, as people who test their levels are already likely to be more health aware.

These findings coincide with the third annual National Vitamin D Awareness Week, led by BetterYou, which aims to "banish the buts" when it comes to protecting Brits from the health impact of deficiency.

This year the campaign focusses on children, following reports by the Generation D report which revealed that more than half (60 per cent) of UK parents are unconcerned about the risk of insufficient vitamin D levels in their child.

Health experts now fear the UK's under-5s – already deemed an at-risk group by the Department of Health – may be missing out vitamin D, due to a lack of awareness of its benefits and the associated potential health risks.

The campaign now has two strong new messages to counter common myths about vitamin D for children’s health, along with building on last year’s messages:

Banish the buts

• But I give my kids plenty of calcium – Vitamin D is essential for absorbing calcium to build strong teeth and bones. It also helps prevent bone diseases like rickets, which are on the rise.
• But my kids are too young for supplements – the Department of Health recommends vitamin D supplementation from six months old, due to the lack of essential vitamin D in our diet.
• But I have a healthy diet – You’d still need to drink 80 glasses of milk a day to maintain a healthy level of vitamin D. Only ten per cent of our essential vitamin D comes from our diet.
• But I’m often outdoors – The UK is one of the cloudiest countries in the industrialised world. Cloud cover and low sun dramatically reduce our ability to produce vitamin D.
• But I wasn’t told I needed vitamin D – 90 per cent of mums have not been advised about the importance of vitamin D. The Department of Health identify those pregnant and breastfeeding as "at risk" groups requiring supplementation.

Vitamin D is also found in a small number of foods:

• oily fish, such as salmon, sardines and mackerel
• eggs
• fortified fat spreads
• fortified breakfast cereals
• powdered milk

National Vitamin D Awareness Week, whichruns between 20 and 26 October 2014 seeks to change those attitudes through high impact visuals and honest debate, setting a new agenda for how we think about vitamin D in this country.

For more information visit NHS Choices