Vitamin D is one of the most important nutrients for our health. But, it’s also one that most of us don’t get enough of. With this in mind Forth, which provides home blood tests compiled results from 1,400 customers to analyse vitamin D levels across the UK.
With sunnier days forecast, experts at Forth have shared some tips on how you can improve your vitamin D levels naturally this summer. Most experts agree that a minimum level of vitamin D is somewhere between 70 and 80 nmol/L. For this study, levels below 75 nmol/L have been classed as “low”.
According to the results, 57% of people in the UK have a vitamin D level below the optimal range Men had higher average levels than women, at 80.4 nmol/L. Women’s average vitamin D levels were 77.
2 nmol/L, just above the minimum level of 75 nmol/L The older we get, the better our vitamin D levels get, with those over 60 having an average level of 86.5 nmol/L. – over 20 nmol/L higher than 18-29 year olds People in the West Midlands had the highest average vitamin D levels at 83.
3 nmol/L. Meanwhile, the North East had the lowest average vitamin D levels of all those tested at 64 nmol/L Dr Thom Phillips, head of clinical services at Forth , said: "There is a proportion of older people who will be prescribed vitamin D supplements by their GP, so it’s not too surprising that the older demographic has better levels." Why is vitamin D so important? Vitamin D is involved in the functioning of the immune system.
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