Did you get yourself tested for vitamin D deficiency? If not, do it now as you may be deficient in vitamin D, especially if you fall into these categories of people with high risk of vitamin D deficiency.
People with inflammatory bowel disease: Vitamin-D is a fat soluble vitamin which means that its absorption depends on the gut’s ability to take in fat. So if you have any inflammatory bowel disease like ulcerative colitis you are more likely to have insufficient vitamin D levels suggests a study published in the journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology [1].
Vegetarian and vegan people: Egg yolk and salmon naturally contain vitamin D and dairy products like milk and yoghurt are fortified with vitamin D. So if you are a vegan or a vegetarian you automatically miss out on the vitamin D-rich foods. Yes, oatmeal and Shitake mushrooms contain vitamin D but they have far less of the nutrient than animal sources.
People above 60: Yes you become wiser with age but as you age you become less mobile and thus spend less time outdoors soaking the sun. So you get far less vitamin D than when you were younger. Not only that, a study published in the journal review suggests that ageing skin cannot synthesize vitamin D as efficiently [2].
People with a 9-5 desk job: If you are in a 9-5 desk job, you obviously do not get too much of the time. Unless you are running in the morning, you are unlikely to get adequate vitamin D from the sun. This makes a vitamin D rich diet and supplements a necessity.
People with dark skin: A study published in the Journal Nutrition suggests that people with people with dark skin show low levels of vitamin D compared to their fairer counterparts [3]. This is because if your skin is dark, you have more melanin on the outer layer of the skin which makes it difficult for the body to produce vitamin D from sunlight.
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