{"id":311916,"date":"2025-12-12T11:06:22","date_gmt":"2025-12-12T11:06:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/311916\/"},"modified":"2025-12-12T11:06:22","modified_gmt":"2025-12-12T11:06:22","slug":"we-asked-a-doctor-who-actually-needs-a-vitamin-d-supplement-in-the-winter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/311916\/","title":{"rendered":"We Asked a Doctor Who Actually Needs a Vitamin D Supplement in the Winter"},"content":{"rendered":"<p id=\"mntl-sc-block_1-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-html\"> Vitamin D is an essential vitamin that your body cannot make on its own. You can obtain it naturally from certain foods and exposure to sunlight. However, many people do not get enough, especially in cold, dark months.<\/p>\n<p id=\"mntl-sc-block_3-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-html\"> We asked our chief medical officer, Sohaib Imtiaz, MD, if it&#8217;s really necessary for everyone to take a vitamin D supplement in the winter.\n<\/p>\n<p id=\"mntl-sc-block_5-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-html\"> *This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.<\/p>\n<p id=\"mntl-sc-block_7-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-html\"> Q: We know that our primary source of vitamin D is sunlight, so it stands to reason that we get less vitamin D in cold, dark months when we have less sun exposure. Who can benefit the most from a vitamin D supplement in the winter?\n<\/p>\n<p id=\"mntl-sc-block_9-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-html\"> Imtiaz: Most people might need vitamin D during the winter months, which I would typically define as the period from around October to about March. But some people are at a higher risk for deficiency than others, for example:\n<\/p>\n<p>People who don&#8217;t consume enough <a class=\"recommendation-inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.verywellhealth.com\/foods-rich-in-vitamin-d-8348470\" link-destination-recommendation=\"true\" data-component=\"link\" data-source=\"inlineLink\" data-type=\"internalLink\" data-ordinal=\"1\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">vitamin D-fortified foods<\/a>. However, it&#8217;s challenging to get enough vitamin D through diet alone.<br \/>\nPeople whose bodies don&#8217;t absorb enough vitamin D from food, often due to conditions like Crohn&#8217;s or Celiac disease.<br \/>\nPeople who don&#8217;t get enough exposure to sunlight, such as those living in Northern latitudes or spending most of their time indoors.<br \/>\nPeople whose liver or kidneys cannot convert vitamin D to its active form, which is typically due to chronic liver or kidney disease.<br \/>\nPeople who take medicines that interfere with vitamin D absorption, such as some cholesterol drugs and weight loss medications, among others.<\/p>\n<p id=\"mntl-sc-block_13-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-html\"> However, you should confirm that you have a deficiency before starting a vitamin D supplement.<\/p>\n<p>  How Can You Tell If You&#8217;re Vitamin D Deficient?  <\/p>\n<p id=\"mntl-sc-block_18-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-html\"> One of the telltale <a class=\"recommendation-inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.verywellhealth.com\/vitamin-d-deficiency-symptoms-11767036\" link-destination-recommendation=\"true\" data-component=\"link\" data-source=\"inlineLink\" data-type=\"internalLink\" data-ordinal=\"1\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">signs of low vitamin D<\/a> is fatigue, a symptom that many people also experience in response to changes in their circadian rhythm in the winter months.\n<\/p>\n<p id=\"mntl-sc-block_20-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-html\"> The primary difference between vitamin D deficiency-related fatigue and circadian rhythm-related fatigue is their timing:\n<\/p>\n<p> Vitamin D deficiency: You may experience sustained fatigue throughout the day.Seasonal changes: You may feel more tired in the morning or evening.<\/p>\n<p id=\"mntl-sc-block_24-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-html\"> That said, the best way to tell if you&#8217;re deficient is to get a blood test to determine your baseline <a class=\"recommendation-inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.verywellhealth.com\/normal-vitamin-d-levels-by-age-8771592\" link-destination-recommendation=\"true\" data-component=\"link\" data-source=\"inlineLink\" data-type=\"internalLink\" data-ordinal=\"1\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">vitamin D levels<\/a>.\n<\/p>\n<p>  How Do You Get Tested?  <\/p>\n<p id=\"mntl-sc-block_29-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-html\"> Your healthcare provider can perform a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.verywellhealth.com\/vitamin-d-test-4691741\" data-component=\"link\" data-source=\"inlineLink\" data-type=\"internalLink\" data-ordinal=\"1\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">blood test<\/a> to check for a vitamin D deficiency, but I know that it can sometimes be challenging to get, depending on your insurance, scheduling, and other factors.\n<\/p>\n<p id=\"mntl-sc-block_31-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-html\"> Many reputable online sites have partnered with labs like Quest Diagnostics, where you can order blood tests and go to a local lab for testing and accurate results. For some, it&#8217;s much more efficient to obtain blood tests through the commercial route rather than visiting their primary care provider.\n<\/p>\n<p id=\"mntl-sc-block_33-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-html\"> A lot of these tests are also HSA and FSA-eligible, so they may not cost you anything out of pocket.<\/p>\n<p>Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our <a href=\"http:\/\/www.verywellhealth.com\/verywell-editorial-process-4777042\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">editorial process<\/a> to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.<\/p>\n<p>National Institutes of Health Office of Dietary Supplements. <a href=\"https:\/\/ods.od.nih.gov\/factsheets\/VitaminD-HealthProfessional\/\" data-component=\"link\" data-source=\"inlineLink\" data-type=\"externalLink\" data-ordinal=\"1\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Vitamin D<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>MedlinePlus. <a href=\"https:\/\/medlineplus.gov\/vitaminddeficiency.html\" data-component=\"link\" data-source=\"inlineLink\" data-type=\"externalLink\" data-ordinal=\"1\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Vitamin D deficiency<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><img data-src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/DrSohaibImtiazPortrait-0e6c2d829c2b4ccba6718549159f2dd2.jpg\" width=\"144\" height=\"144\" alt=\"Dr. Sohaib Imtiaz\" class=\"lazyload author-bio__image mntl-image universal-image__image\" data-expand=\"300\"\/><\/p>\n<p class=\"author-bio__bio-text\">\nBy <a href=\"https:\/\/www.verywellhealth.com\/sohaib-imtiaz-8721528\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Sohaib Imtiaz, MD <\/a><br \/>\n<br \/>Dr. Imtiaz is the Chief Medical Officer for the People Inc. Health Group. He is a board-certified lifestyle medicine doctor who brings expertise in digital health, preventive medicine, and human behavior.\n<\/p>\n<p>Thanks for your feedback!<\/p>\n<p>What is your feedback?<\/p>\n<p> Helpful<\/p>\n<p> Report an Error<\/p>\n<p> Other<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Vitamin D is an essential vitamin that your body cannot make on its own. You can obtain it&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":311917,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[45],"tags":[102,6636,56,54,55],"class_list":{"0":"post-311916","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nutrition","8":"tag-health","9":"tag-nutrition","10":"tag-uk","11":"tag-united-kingdom","12":"tag-unitedkingdom"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/311916","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=311916"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/311916\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/311917"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=311916"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=311916"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=311916"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}