Vitamin warning

Your report (20 April) highlighting the association between vitamin D deficiency and breast and prostate cancers (among other chronic conditions) is of huge relevance – especially after the recent, prolonged winter.

I was very deficient in vitamin D – like more than 80 per cent of Scots – but this was only discovered by chance. I was experiencing extreme fatigue, which I put down to having had a mastectomy. However, I was lucky in that I happened to be telling my story to Dr Helga Rhein, an expert on Vit D deficiency. Widely available information in health centres had led me to believe that this was not anything a person who regularly walked dogs and gardened need worry about.

Vit D deficiency has wide-reaching effects on cancer occurrence and recurrence, in general. My energy levels have been transformed since taking Vit D tablets – but not the dose for babies, as recommended still by government. I would urge your readers to look at the website 
scots4vitD.wordpress.com. Simple and cheap measures can bring about huge health benefits.

Caroline McManus

Newmills Road

Edinburgh