I took an £8 Tesco health test and it proved the NHS advice is right

We are getting closer to a cold and dark winter every day, and that means that now is the perfect time to test for a vitamin D deficiency.

The NHS says that a lack of vitamin D “can lead to bone deformities such as rickets in children, and bone pain caused by a condition called osteomalacia in adults”. So, as the days get darker, taking vitamin D supplements is advised.

Given the above advice I decided that it would be a good idea to test whether I do in fact have a vitamin D deficiency. Earlier this week, I took an allergy test that I picked up from Tesco, so I headed back there to pick up the vitamin D test.

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This one was more affordable than the £20 allergy test and cost £8. The instructions are clearly laid out on the back of the packet and in a booklet inside. Also, unlike the allergy test this one came with an alcohol swab to clean your finger beforehand, and a plaster for afterwards.

As I was filming the process for the ECHO’s TikTok page, I enlisted nostalgia Reporter Jess Molyneux to be the one to help in administering the all important needle prick. After we deciphered the instructions, we got to work.

Once you know what you’re doing, the main confusion being which sample goes in which part of the tester, we didn’t have to sit and wait around for long.

The tester is reminiscent of the ones you use to test for Covid-19, and the way you read the results are similar. For the test to have worked, the C line (for control) needs to be strong, and then the T gets stronger the more the deficiency is present.

As you can see from the video linked above and the picture here, the test showed that I am in fact slightly deficient in vitamin D. Following the results I have decided to follow the NHS advice and buy vitamin D tablets as the NHS advises adults need 10 micrograms (mcg) of vitamin D a day.

You can find vitamin D in some foods, such as oily fish (like salmon and mackerel), red meat and egg yolks. Cows milk in the UK is not fortified, so therefore is not a good source of vitamin D. Either way, the way to resolve the deficiency is quite simple.