Vitamin D deficiency crisis hits young women in the UK

Nearly a quarter of 11- to 18-year-olds in the UK were classed as deficient in vitamin D last year. This growing concern is starkly illustrated by the case of 23-year-old special educational needs teacher Saskia Reeves-Priestley, who collapsed at work due to critically low levels of the vitamin.

Risk factors

Girls and young women face a particular risk of vitamin D deficiency, which can cause serious health problems. The consequences are severe: rickets in babies and osteomalacia, a bone-weakening disease, in adults. Low vitamin D rates are increasing in some UK age groups, creating a silent health crisis.

Causes and symptoms

Most vitamin D is made by the body when UV light hits the skin. Several factors reduce production: lower levels of sunlight, covering parts of the body, wearing sunscreen, and having darker skin, which requires stronger light exposure. Vitamin D can also come from diet, like oily fish and meat, or supplements.

Symptoms are often vague but debilitating. They include fatigue, joint and bone pain, dizziness, nausea, heart palpitations, and sudden heat. Dr Suma Uday, a paediatric endocrinologist, calls vitamin D deficiency 'the silent disease'. "It's basically silently eating away," she said.

Personal stories

Two young women's experiences show the condition's impact. Amaka Osu, a 21-year-old student, started shaking while making dinner and lost her vision. Her mother also suffered from low vitamin D, showing how deficiency can affect multiple generations. With supplements, her health improved.

Saskia Reeves-Priestley, who plays goalkeeper four times a week, was found to have vitamin D levels near zero in blood tests. "I just felt really dizzy," she said of her collapse. After starting supplements, she has returned to playing goalkeeper.

Call to action

Experts are calling for wider fortification of food with vitamin D to address the growing concern. In the UK, fortification of cereals and spreads remains voluntary, unlike in Canada and Sweden where it is mandatory. Professor Martin Hewison of the University of Birmingham notes that rickets hasn't disappeared despite a century of vitamin D knowledge and suggests wider fortification. A significant barrier is that doctors do not offer blood tests for deficiency as standard practice. With levels decreasing during winter months and voluntary measures failing, the push for mandatory action grows stronger.