Source: BBC
Are your ‘sunshine vitamin’ levels low? Discover why you need vitamin D, how to get more and what to do if you’re concerned about your levels…

Why do we need Vitamin D?
Vitamin D blood ranges | Classification |
Under 25nmol/L | Deficient |
25 – 50nmol/L | Insufficient |
50-75nmol/L | Sufficient |
Over 75nmol/L | Optimal |
How much sun do we need?
It is difficult to give a one-size-fits-all recommendation for sunlight exposure during the summer months. This is because so many other factors affect the amount of vitamin D that’s made in the skin, including your skin colour and age, the strength of the sun, the time of day and where you live. Guidelines regarding this are under review and more information is anticipated later in 2016. The recent SACN report suggests that everyone over the age of one needs to consume 10mcg of vitamin D daily in order to protect bone and muscle health. In addition, public health officials say that in the winter months people should consider getting this from vitamin D supplements, if their diet is unlikely to provide it. See the NHS website for current advice.
Categories: Health, The Muslim Times