Factors affecting absorption of ‘sunshine vitamin’ during spring/summer months

Following the hottest Easter Monday on record in the UK, we can easily be lulled into a false sense of security when it comes to our bodies’ vitamin D levels.

BetterYou’s DLux Oral Spray Range

The Bank Holiday Monday saw temperatures soar to highs of 25 °C and many Brits headed outdoors to enjoy the perfectly-timed blue skies. Yet for the UK population, the onset of spring can see levels of the ‘sunshine vitamin’ remain low due to the many factors involved with absorbing this nutrient from the sun.

Owing to the infamously inconsistent British weather and our increasingly indoor lifestyles, we can remain covered up and unexposed to sufficient direct sunlight throughout April - inhibiting the body’s synthesis of this essential vitamin.

The optimum time of day for the body to produce vitamin D is between 11 am and 3 pm, just a small window of the day, with many people applying sunscreen to protect from sunburn and preventing effective penetration of Vitamin D-activating UVB rays.

With this in mind, April is an essential time to test vitamin D levels - something just one in ten of us do here in the UK. A study of 2,000 UK adults commissioned by natural health brand, BetterYou, found that 84 per cent of women have never tested their vitamin D levels, this being even more common among men (91 per cent).

When polled, more than two thirds of people said they believe they get their vitamin D from sunlight, by spending on average 24 minutes out in the sunshine per day. However, cloud cover and low levels of UVB radiation in the northern hemisphere means that sunlight alone is not always sufficient enough to produce adequate amounts of this crucial vitamin.

Furthermore, 66 per cent of those who spend time in the sunshine reported that they are likely to use protection such as sun cream or protective clothing, preventing the body from synthesizing vitamin D.

The research also highlighted that just 15 per cent of respondents would be able to spot the signs of vitamin D deficiency, with more than half admitting that they wouldn’t be able to.

Keeley Berry, Nutritional Expert and New Product Development Executive said:

Whilst it’s true that as the spring/summer months come around our levels of vitamin D will begin to increase, for those that do not supplement, April can be a month which sees levels remain low as people spend time indoors or covered up.

Low levels of the ‘sunshine vitamin’ can manifest as low mood, headaches and aches and pains to name just a few, and as these symptoms are not exclusive to vitamin D deficiency, it’s not surprising that 88 per cent of people have never tested their levels.

BetterYou has made testing easy, with an at-home kit that you can complete and send in the post to Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust. Once your results are processed, you’ll receive a personalized supplementation plan along with a complimentary vitamin D oral spray.”

Of those surveyed by BetterYou, almost half identified efficacy (the ability to produce intended results) as the most important factor for them when buying health supplements.

An oral spray is a convenient method of elevating vitamin levels, as it delivers the vitamin through the lining inside the mouth, bypassing the primary processing by the digestive system.

BetterYou’s DLux oral sprays are the UK’s first daily vitamin D oral spray range, providing a fast and effective way to increase levels of this vital vitamin.

Fight Your Vitamin D-Mons | Why is Vitamin D important?