VITAMIN D DEFICIENCY SYMPTOMS, FOODS TO EAT AND HOW MANY IU YOU NEED PER DAY

Vitamin D is essential to our well-being. Vitamin D's main job in our bodies is to absorb calcium and phosphorus, key minerals for building and maintaining strong bones.

We make vitamin D in our skin when it is exposed to ultraviolet light from the sun, but we can also get it from food we eat or supplements. Without this vitamin D, our bones can get soft or brittle and can break easily, known as rickets in kids and osteomalacia in adults.

There are several symptoms of a vitamin D deficiency you can watch out for. They are much more common in the winter months when there is less exposure to the sun (particularly in rainy London).

Vitamin D deficiency symptoms

Vitamin D deficiencies show themselves in different ways depending on a person's age, according to Patient.info. You are more at risk of becoming deficient if you are not often outdoors, are in an institution like a care home or usually wear clothes that cover most of your skin when outdoors. Having dark skin can also make it easier to become deficient, as melanin blocks UV light.

For adults, the following symptoms are a common sign of Vitamin D deficiency:

general tiredness
vague aches and pains
General malaise and a sense of not being well

In more serious cases, pain is more severe, and there can be muscle weakness. This can cause:

difficulty claiming the stairs, getting up from the floor or a low chair
walking in a waddling pattern

Bones can experience moderate to painful pressure - often noticeable in the ribs, shin bones, lower back, hips, pelvis, thighs and feet

For children, the following symptoms may present themselves:

Soft skull or leg bones
Curved or bowed legs due to soft bones bending under pressure
Bone pains (particularly in legs)
Muscle pains and weakness
Late teething, as the development of milk teeth is affected
Irritability
Infection prone

In severe cases, there may be breathing difficulties due to weak chest muscles and soft rib cages

In very severe cases, low calcium levels in blood lead to muscle cramps, fit,s and breathing difficulties - this needs urgent hospital treatment.

In rare cases, there may be weakness of the heart muscle (cardiomyopathy).

In babies, severe Vitamin D deficiency shows itself in the following ways:

Cramps.
Fits.
Breathing difficulties.

These problems are related to low levels of calcium which result from the low levels of vitamin D.

What vitamin D-rich food you can eat to battle deficiency

If you discover you are Vitamin D deficient, there are several foods you can eat and supplements you can take in order to get your levels back up to where they should be. The NHS recommends several sources:

Oily fish – such as salmon, sardines, herring and mackerel
Red meat
Liver (avoid liver if you are pregnant)
Egg yolks
Fortified foods – such as some fat spreads and breakfast cereals
Fortified plant milks - almond, soy, oat
Orange juice

In the UK, cows' milk is generally not a good source of vitamin D because it is not fortified, as it is in some other countries. There are also supplements you can take which are especially useful during the winter when there is not much sun.

The NHS says: "Everyone (including pregnant and breastfeeding women) should consider taking a daily supplement containing 10 micrograms of vitamin D during the autumn and winter."

Between late March and the end of September, most people can make all the Vitamin D they need in their skin from the sun and through their diet, so you should consider stopping taking the supplement during this time.

How many International Units (IU) of Vitamin D do you need a day?

The NHS says that children from the age of 1 year and adults need 10 micrograms (mcg) of vitamin D a day. This includes pregnant and breastfeeding women, and people at risk of vitamin D deficiency.

Babies up to the age of 1 year need 8.5 to 10 micrograms of vitamin D a day. A microgram (mcg) is 1,000 times smaller than a milligram (mg) and is often written with the Greek symbol μ followed by the letter g (μg).

Sometimes the amount of vitamin D is expressed as International Units (IU). 1 microgram of vitamin D is equal to 40 IU. So 10 micrograms of vitamin D is equal to 400 IU.

Having too much vitamin D can mean calcium builds up in your blood and can weaken the bones and damage the kidney and heart. More than 100mcg a day, or 4,000 IU, could be harmful. Children between 1-10 should not have more than 50mcg and babies under 12 months should not have more than 25mcg.

You cannot overdose on vitamin D through exposure to sunlight. But always remember to cover up or protect your skin if you're out in the sun for long periods to reduce the risk of skin damage and skin cancer.

Get the top stories from across London directly to your inbox. Sign up for MyLondon's Daily Newsletter HERE to get the biggest stories every day

2025-04-19T03:39:34Z

VITAMIN D DEFICIENCY SYMPTOMS, FOODS TO EAT AND HOW MANY IU YOU NEED PER DAY