ITV's Dr Hilary says this one vitamin deficiency could lead to winter illness

Brits could be at risk of catching an illness this winter if they don't get enough of this one vitamin, according to an expert. ITV's Dr Hilary has given advice amid news that this is the ‘worst winter on record for health services’.

The expert has shared his top tips to help alleviate pressure on the NHS and how Brits can stay healthy throughout the colder months.

He says the most important thing is Vitamin D which plays a crucial role in your health. "The colder months see a huge rise in Vitamin D deficiencies, which leads to higher illness rates alongside depression due to the lack of sunlight,” Dr. Hilary explained

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But how do you get the most Vitamin D? Well you can start by focusing on your diet. Dr Hilary says you should "look to incorporate the ‘sunshine vitamin’ into your diet via foods such as oily fish, such as salmon and mackerel, or fortified foods like certain breakfast cereals and plant-based milks.”

He explains that if you are lacking in Vitamin D, you could face a number of health issues such as:

• Higher risk of COVID, norovirus and flu as vitamin D plays a key role in overall health, helping the body to fight off bacteria and viruses by stimulating our immune systems

• Low mood as exposure to sunlight helps our bodies to produce vitamin D, which is necessary for our brains to produce serotonin aka the ‘happy chemical’

• Higher risk of UTIs as vitamin D helps to regulate our immune system, in turn helping to prevent infections

• Chronic fatigue thanks to vitamin D’s role in the production of melatonin aka the ‘sleep chemical’. Without melatonin, you could be a risk of not just fatigue but also insomnia

• Muscle weakness as low levels of vitamin D greatly increases a person's risk of muscle strength loss

Research from the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) revealed that one in six UK adults suffer from deficiency of vitamin D. However, simple changes to your diet can help boost intake of vitamin D and maintain your health, according to Signe Svanfeldt, a leading nutritionist at popular nutrition app Lifesum.

The recommended intake of vitamin D in the UK is 10 micrograms per day. Leading nutritionist Signe Svanfeldt has revealed the top four foods to boost your vitamin D intake.

• Fatty Fish: Fatty types of fish like salmon, trout and mackerel are some of the best sources of vitamin D. Salmon has around 12.5 microgram of vitamin D/100 g, but the amount of vitamin D in fish usually depends on the diets of the fish.

• Egg yolks: For those who exclude fish from their diet, egg yolks are the next best source of vitamin D with around four microgram of vitamin D/100 g.

• Mushrooms: While the amount of vitamin D in plant-based sources are quite low, mushrooms that are exposed to UV light tend to contain a healthy amount of vitamin D.

• Fortified dairy / plant-based milks : Some products like dairy products and plant-based variants are fortified to raise levels of vitamin D in them