With all the news in the press about the benefits of having good levels of vitamin D e.g. prevention of cancer, especially breast cancer, heart disease, Type 2 diabetes and osteoporosis it is important that you know whether or not you are lacking in this vital vitamin by taking a simple blood test.

As well as all of these benefits, it is now thought that having good levels of vitamin D can help slow down the ageing process and when taken in pregnancy and childhood could wipe out 80% of multiple sclerosis cases. Vitamin D deficiencies have also been implicated in other autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus and inflammatory bowel disease.

If you suffer from joint pains it is important that you are checked for vitamin D deficiency because research has shown that people who have musculoskeletal pain e.g. low back pain are often deficient in vitamin D and when the vitamin D deficiency is corrected by taking supplementation the pain is eliminated.

If you have been told that you have high cholesterol make sure you change your diet but at the same time get your vitamin D level checked. Cholesterol is used to make vitamin D so if you are deficient in vitamin D, your liver can be producing more cholesterol to try and produce more vitamin D. By correcting the vitamin D deficiency, your body does not have to produce so much cholesterol.

And if you are trying to get pregnant or having recurrent miscarriages then it is important that your vitamin D level is checked because it is known that having good levels of vitamin D helps the body maintain a pregnancy by effectively switching off the part of the immune system that could reject a baby as only half the DNA is the motherﾒs.

When ordering this test you will receive a special kit, with full instructions, that will enable you to take a simple finger prick sample at home and this is then sent directly to the laboratory in the packaging provided. When analysed you will be sent the results showing your level of vitamin D and recommendations to correct the deficiency if you have one. You will also be given suggestions when to re-test in order to make sure the level is back to normal.

Vitamin D is toxic at high levels, so although you want good levels of this vitamin it is important that the level is not too high, that is why testing is so important and you are just taking the right amount for you.

So if you want to find out if you are lacking in vitamin D, then you should order this Vitamin D Deficiency Test now.

Samples should be returned to the laboratory by Next Day Delivery, Monday- Thursday only. Samples received outside of the suggested postage dates may be discarded and the patient asked to repeat the test.

Please Note: This test is only available by post in the UK. Please allow 5-6 weeks to receive your results.