Only 12 minutes of sunlight in 1 week. Is Brittany on the Verge of Winter Depression?

With only 12 minutes of sunlight a week, is Breton at risk of severe winter depression? Vitamin D deficiency can have harmful consequences on the body, but solutions exist to overcome the lack of sun this winter.

12 minutes of sunshine in Brest, 20 in Lorient or 26 in Rennes. Between February 1 and 8, 2024, Brittany rarely saw the sun. With a brutal shortage of vitamin D, Bretons have to watch out for winter depression. Rest assured, there is nothing to worry about and solutions exist to avoid deficiency.

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To get an adequate daily intake of vitamin D, “Expose yourself to the sun for 15 to 20 minutes in the late morning or afternoon every day“, explains ANSES (National Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health Safety). Deficiency risks are common every winter with specific clinical risks such as muscle disorders (for example a drop in blood pressure. Muscle tone or attacks of tetany) or bones.

The main people at risk are the elderly, especially for the risk of osteoporosis. We also look for infants, pregnant women and post-menopausal women.

To overcome vitamin D deficiency, it is possible to consume foods rich in vitamin D such as fatty fish (sardines, mackerel salmon), dairy products (especially good salted butter very popular among Bretons), eggs or even dark chocolate and some mushrooms. (chanterelles, porcini mushrooms and morels).

Vitamin D is essential for proper functioning of our body. Its main function is to increase the concentration of calcium and phosphorus in the blood.