Daily habit 'as good as supplements' for vitamin d levels

SWAP THE VITAMIN D SUPPLEMENT FOR A DAILY DOSE OF MOVEMENT, A NEW STUDY SUGGESTS 16:41, 20 May 2025 After a prolonged period of sunshine in the UK, your vitamin D levels are probably the

last thing on your mind. However, official statistics suggest that more than one in 10 UK adults are lacking in the sunshine vitamin. Vitamin D has several vital functions. It regulates the

absorption of calcium, needed for our bones and teeth, and phosphorus which helps the immune system to function properly. Every autumn, the NHS urges everyone in the UK to take a daily

vitamin D supplement between October and early March in order to keep our bones, muscles, and immune system healthy. But a new study has found the key to maintaining vitamin D levels in

winter – without the need for supplements. Regular exercise in winter has shown to help keep vitamin D levels up, according to research by experts at the University of Bath, University of

Birmingham and University of Cambridge. The study found that overweight and obese adults who took part in a 10-week indoor exercise programme had "significantly smaller drops" in

vitamin D levels than those who did not exercise. "This is the first study to show that exercise alone can protect against the winter dip in vitamin D," said lead author Dr Oly

Perkin from the Centre for Nutrition, Exercise and Metabolism, Department for Health at the University of Bath. "It’s a powerful reminder that we still have lots to learn about how

exercise benefits our health," he added. READ MORE: Vitamin D: Warning signs you are deficient and the symptoms of taking too much The small-scale study looked at 50 people and was

conducted between October and April so that natural sunlight did not skew results by boosting natural vitamin D levels. The study found that people who did regular, moderate-intensity

exercise saw a smaller drop in their overall vitamin D levels over winter of around 15 per cent, compared with a 25 per cent drop in those who did not exercise. Exercise also completely

preserved the body’s active form of vitamin D, which plays a key role in supporting bone health and the immune system. In the non-exercising group, levels of this active form fell by 15 per

cent. The exercise programme involved four sessions per week: two treadmill walks, one longer steady-state bike ride, and one high-intensity interval bike session. Weight was kept stable

among the volunteers, proving the effect on vitamin D was due to exercise and not weight loss. Dr Perkin added: "If you're worried about your vitamin D levels in the winter,

keeping up regular exercise every week will help, and offer a load of health benefits that vitamin D supplements cannot." Prof Dylan Thompson, Principal Investigator for the study said

the findings show "exercise gives you a double benefit to your vitamin D". He added: "The study offers compelling evidence that exercise could be an effective winter vitamin D

strategy. Article continues below "Especially for those who are overweight or obese for whom vitamin D supplements are less effective."