Vitamin D deficiency is more common during these months because it’s difficult for the body to synthesise vitamin D with shorter daylight hours and reduced UV levels.
The ‘sunshine vitamin’ is important to healthy function of the body, keeping bones and teeth strong, helping the body to absorb calcium and helping the immune system stay in good shape.
A deficiency in the vitamin could cause a number of symptoms to arise.
Symptoms most commonly associated with the condition are tiredness, weakness, and muscle and bone pain.
But there are a number of other signs to note that many people wouldn’t necessarily associated with vitamin D deficiency.
Hair loss
Research has demonstrated that lack of vitamin D can lead to hair loss because vitamin D stimulates new and old hair follicles.
When there isn’t enough of the vitamin in your body new hair growth can be stunted.
Deficiency in the vitamin has also been linked to alopecia, a condition which causes bald patches on the scalp and hair loss in other areas of the body.
Another study, ‘Serum ferritin and vitamin d in female hair loss: do the play a role?’, found women 18 to 45 years old who experienced alopecia or other types of hair loss had low levels of vitamin D
Chest pain
Another sign of vitamin D deficiency is if you feel pain when you press on your breastbone, also known as the sternum, which is located in the middle of your chest, according to Karen Langston, a spokesperson for the National Association of Nutrition Professionals.
Speaking to Arthritis Foundation she added: “The biggest concern [of vitamin D deficiency] is osteomalacia, or the softening of the bones.
“In children, it’s called rickets. It also can cause brittle bones, weak muscles.
“Other symptoms are fractures of the hip and pelvis, bone pain and tenderness, tooth decay and hearing loss because the bones in the ear become soft.”
Dry eyes
Research published in the International Journal of Rheumatic Diseases, showed vitamin D deficiency is strongly associate with dry eyes.
Symptoms of dry eyes include feelings of dryness, grittiness or soreness that get worse throughout the day.
Other notable symptoms are burning and red eyes, eyelids that stick together when you wake up, and temporarily blurred vision, which usually improves when you blink.
According to the researchers, vitamin D plays a role in dry eyes due to its anti-inflammatory properties.
They added vitamin D may help prevent dry eyes by inducing cathelicidin, an anti-microbial protein that can help heal eye wounds.
Bleeding gums
According to Sr Steven Lin of The Functional Dentist, bleeding gums are often dismissed as simply a case of poor brushing habits or not flossing enough, but it can be one of the first noticeable symptoms of progressing gum disease, which could be caused by a nutrient deficiency.
On the site it says: “It’s surprising to many, that bleeding gums are closely related to your body’ levels of vitamin D.
“Proper diet and nutrition, especially vitamin D, are essential to maintaining a healthy gut micro biome balance, which contributes to a healthy immune system, and bone homeostasis (the process where old bone is replaced by new bone tissue).
“And ultimately, vitamin D plays a crucial role in all three of these factors and in preventing gum disease.”