Vitamin D Testing ServiceFind out your vitamin D levels We work in collaboration with Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS trust to offer you a complete service which is available from the comfort of your own home.What does the service include? Easy to use home testing kit Full guidance from BetterYou on the correct supplementation for your personal needs Complimentary DLux Vitamin D Oral Spray at a strength relevant to your results As part of the service we provide, your test results will be sent via email directly to you and BetterYou. This enables us to tailor a unique plan for you and help you understand what your test result actually means. We send the testing kit out for you to use at home. All you have to do is place four blood spots onto the collection card from a quick and painless nick of the finger. Full instructions are included in the pack you will receive. Using the prepaid envelope the collection card is then sent to City Assays, who analyse the sample for Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS trust.
From the spots of dried blood on your sample card the laboratory at City Assays uses a liquid chromatography mass spectrometry method to measure the Vitamin D in your blood. They measure for Vitamin D2 and D3, reporting the total and D2 and D3 results. The results are supplied within eight working days of the lab receiving your sample. The results are emailed directly to you and BetterYou. From this we will provide you with a bespoke supplementation plan to help increase or maintain your levels. You will also receive a complimentary DLux vitamin D oral spray relevant to your results. Contained within the pack is everything you need to take a blood spot sample from your finger tip. The pack includes full and clear instructions with a postage-paid returns envelope (UK only) to post your results to the lab. Is the test kit suitable for children?The vitamin D test service suitable for all ages including young children and babies. The test kit requires a small pin prick to the side of the finger be able to collect blood spots for testing.
Everything you require is enclosed in the pack, including a plaster and a complimentary DLux oral spray based on individual results. Does your vitamin D test show ‘active’ or ‘storage’ vitamin D? The blood spot kits measure 25-hydroxyvitamin D, which reflects body vitamin D stores. This is generally accepted to be the most useful indicator of vitamin D status. The active form is 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D but this is only measured in very few, rare clinical situations. It is also very unstable and difficult to measure so only a few labs in the country do actually measure it. Visit our FAQ section for the full list of questions >Vitamin D helps to regulate the amount of calcium and phosphate in the body. These nutrients are needed to keep bones, teeth and muscles healthy. A lack of vitamin D can lead to bone deformities such as rickets in children, and bone pain and tenderness as a result of a condition called osteomalacia in adults. From about late March/April to the end of September, most people in the UK should be able to get all the vitamin D they need from sunlight.
The body creates vitamin D from direct sunlight on the skin when outdoors. But if you're out in the sun, take care to cover up or protect your skin with sunscreen before you turn red or get burnt. Between October and early March we don't get any vitamin D from sunlight. Read more about how we get vitamin D from sunlight. Vitamin D is also found in a small number of foods. Good food sources are: Another source of vitamin D is dietary supplements. In the UK, cows' milk is generally not a good source of vitamin D because it isn't fortified, as it is in some other countries. Babies from birth to one year need 8.5 to 10 micrograms (8.5-10mcg) of vitamin D a day. Children from the age of one year and adults need 10 micrograms (10mcg) of vitamin D a day. This includes pregnant and breastfeeding women and people at risk of vitamin D deficiency (those with minimal exposure to sunshine and those with dark skin). From about late March/April to the end of September, the majority of people in the UK should get all the vitamin D they need from sunlight.
The Department of Health recommends that: You can buy single vitamin D supplements or vitamin drops containing vitamin D (for use by under-fives) at most pharmacies and supermarkets. Women and children who qualify for the Healthy Start scheme can get free supplements containing the recommended amounts of vitamin D. See the Healthy Start website for more information on the scheme. Because vitamin D is found only in a small number of foods, it might be difficult to get enough from foods that naturally contain vitamin D and/or fortified foods alone. So everyone, including pregnant and breastfeeding women, should consider taking a daily supplement containing 10mcg of vitamin D. Between late March/April to the end of September, the majority of people aged five years and above will probably get enough vitamin D from sunlight when outdoors. So you might choose not to take a vitamin D supplement during these months. But some people will not get enough vitamin D from sunlight because they have very little or no sunshine exposure.
The Department of Health recommends that you should take a daily supplement containing 10mcg of vitamin D throughout the year if you: If you're from a minority ethnic group with dark skin, such as African, African-Caribbean or South Asian, you might also not get enough vitamin D from sunlight – so you should consider taking a daily supplement containing 10mcg of vitamin D throughout the year. Taking too many vitamin D supplements over a long period of time can cause more calcium to be absorbed by the body than can be excreted. This leads to high levels of calcium in the blood (hypercalcaemia). Too much calcium in the blood can weaken the bones and damage the kidneys and the heart. If you choose to take vitamin D supplements, 10mcg a day will be enough for most people. Do not take more than 100mcg of vitamin D a day, as it could be harmful. This applies to adults, including pregnant and breastfeeding women and the elderly, and children aged 11-17 years. Children aged 1-10 years should not have more than 50mcg a day.