Gloomy news as we’re not getting enough sunshine..

One in four are at higher risk of bone disease over low levels of vitamin D

WINTERS are leaving one in four older adults in Northern Ireland deficient in vitamin D, a new study has found.

But even during the summer, when the body usually generates its own reserves, one in eight over the age of 50 are lacking the essential nutrient.

The vitamin, produced by the body after exposure to sunshine, is needed for bone health and prevention of conditions such as osteoporosis.

However, a shortage can be treated easily with supplements.

Researchers from The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (TILDA) at Trinity College Dublin have discovered wide variations in deficiency across Ireland that are dependent on lifestyle.

People living in Northern Ireland, the North and West of Ireland, and those who were physically inactive, were found more likely to be lacking in the vitamin. The research, published yesterday in the Journal of Gerontology: Medical Sciences, also found deficiency increased with age.

In adults over 80, 37% were low in winter, compared with 22% of 50-59 year olds. The shortfall was found to be more common in smokers (23%), people who live alone (21%) and those from a lower socio-economic background (17%).

The research revealed the use of supplementation was low, with only 8.5% of over-50s taking it.

Lead author of the study and research fellow at TILDA Dr Eamon Laird said he hoped the data would help inform public health policy, in particular with regards to vitamin D food fortification and the targeting of supplements aimed at reducing endemic shortfall.

He explained: “To place this in context, a country such as Finland, which gets less sunlight than Ireland and is at a more northern latitude, actually has less prevalence of deficiency than Ireland.

“This is due to a public health policy of supplementation and fortification.”

Dr Laird added the research shows “striking differences in the prevalence of deficiency across different physical and lifestyle factors such as obesity and smoking”.

Principal investigator Professor Rose Anne Kenny warned research has shown deficiency “may also be associated with heart and kidney disease, brain health and diabetes”.