Anna Hartz
Forget the orange juice. This is the vitamin to watch in winter
When winter arrives, it can be tempting to look for ways to give your body an extra boost. Dark mornings, cold weather and people coughing and sneezing around you can make a large glass of orange juice seem like a good form of protection.
But do we really need to change what we eat during the winter months?
A persistent myth
Not when it comes to vitamin C, says Susanne Gjedsted Bügel, professor of nutrition and health at the University of Copenhagen.
It is a common belief that vitamin C can help prevent or cure a cold. But there is little reason for most people to take extra vitamin C, according to DR.
“It’s a persistent myth that vitamin C works against colds,” Susanne Gjedsted Bügel says. Most people already get enough vitamin C through their normal diet. If you already eat a varied diet, an extra smoothie or large glass of orange juice is unlikely to make a difference.
The situation is different when it comes to vitamin D.
Many people in northern countries have low vitamin D levels during winter because the sun is too low in the sky to help the body produce enough of the vitamin.
Vitamin D can be found in foods such as fatty fish, including salmon and mackerel. However, eating a little more fish is usually not enough on its own.
“It would require quite a lot of fatty fish to eat your way to enough vitamin D,” Bügel says. For most people, she recommends taking a vitamin D supplement during the winter.
Symptoms of too little vitamin D
A lack of vitamin D can sometimes cause tiredness, weakness or muscle pain. But it is also possible to have too little vitamin D without noticing any symptoms.
According to the Danish Health Authority, getting enough vitamin D is important because a long-term deficiency can increase the risk of weak bones and fractures.
Bügel is less enthusiastic about taking a multivitamin unless there is a specific need for it. She prefers a targeted vitamin D supplement.
For anyone who regularly forgets to take their tablets, there is also no reason to feel guilty. Missing a day or two does not mean the supplement suddenly stops working.
So there is no need to completely change your winter diet or start a special juice routine. A varied diet and a daily vitamin D supplement are usually the more sensible approach.
