Twenty-three-year-old Saskia Reeves-Priestley, a fit football goalkeeper and special-needs teacher, discovered her vitamin D level was extremely low after collapsing at work with dizziness, nausea, palpitations and overheating. Those symptoms are not directly attributed to the deficiency, and she had noticed no earlier warning signs. University student Amaka Osu was also diagnosed after shaking and struggling to see; she had assumed her persistent tiredness came from studying and work. Both say they feel better after starting supplements, though Amaka remains worried about a recurrence.
Vitamin D is made mainly when sunlight reaches the skin, and production falls with limited sunlight, covered skin and darker skin, which needs stronger light for the same amount. It is also found in some foods and supplements. In the UK, nearly a quarter of 11- to 18-year-olds were classed as deficient last year, with rates rising in some groups, particularly girls and young women. Deficiency can be hard to detect; fatigue and bone or joint pain may accompany weakened bones, while severe deficiency causes rickets in children and osteomalacia in adults. Clinicians want a higher deficiency threshold so more people can be identified and treated earlier. They also call for wider food fortification and routine supplements for groups at risk, warning that deficiencies in girls and women may affect health across pregnancy and generations.
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