Therefore the question is what do we do?

This was answered by The Public Health Agency has recommended that people supplement with vitamin D supplements during the lockdown.

“As a result of being inside more, we may not be getting enough vitamin D from sunlight. We are advising that everyone should consider taking a supplement of vitamin D every day to keep their bones, teeth and muscles healthy.” Caroline Bloomfield, The Public Health Agency (PHA) lead on Nutrition and Healthy Eating.

Vitamin D is very essential for our body to function which are mentioned below:

• It helps in having Immunity as that helps the body to have a good immune system.
• Hormonal health by balancing our sex hormones 
• Vitamin D also helps and supports having a better digestive system
• Bone health, like vitamin D, regulates the amount of calcium and phosphate in the body, both needed for healthy bones, teeth and muscle.
• Another major role is that of helping in developing and functioning of the Human Brain

There are two major sources of an individual to get vitamin. One being naturally through Sunlight and the other being through Food such as eggs, fish, mushroom, cheese, etc.

Types of Vitamin D 

There are two types of vitamin D.

• Vitamin D2 (ergocalciferol) from plant sources, i.e. mushrooms.
• Vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol) from animal sources such as oily fish and egg yolks as well as the supplemental forms.

Vitamin D3 is the more powerful of the two types as it is bio-available and raises blood levels of vitamin D almost twice as much as D2.

To know the proportion of either of the Vitamin in our body the simple way being that of a Blood Test. This test will help determine the exact and correct level of Vitamin D in our body which is said to be equal to 25(OH) D – 25-hydroxy vitamin D in the blood.

Due to the pandemic situation, The Public Health England gave certain vitamin D recommendations

“Public health England have recently increased the recommended level to 25ug/day during the current pandemic. PHE normally recommends everyone in the general population aged 4 years and older to have 10 micrograms (400UI) of vitamin D daily, throughout the year. This includes pregnant and breastfeeding women and population groups at increased risk of vitamin D deficiency. For all infants from birth to 1 year of age 8.5 to 10 micrograms (340-400 IU/d) of vitamin D per day is recommended; however, children who have more than 500ml of milk (including baby milk formula) every day do not need any additional vitamin D.”