NEWS COPY
Millions of Brits live a 'mushroom' existence during the winter - never venturing outside during working hours, according to new research.
Six in 10 people do not go outside at all during office hours while eight in 10 people leave for work in darkness and 90 per cent go home in the dark.
Half of respondents admit their work rate suffers because of the lack of sun - on average the research found people start to become less effective from 1.41pm onwards.
The research commissioned by Cambridge Nutraceuticals, producers of FutureYou health supplements, explored how wintertime affects the moods and productivity levels of 2,000 UK adults.
A spokesman for Cambridge Nutraceuticals said: "As the results suggest, a lack of real sunshine - the sort we get in summertime - is really significant because our bodies need it to generate vitamin D.
"The sun is so weak during winter in Britain our bodies produce very little vitamin D, so to maintain healthy levels people should make sure they get it through their diet or appropriate supplementation.
"And getting enough vitamin D is important because it can reduce the risk of osteoporosis in older adults and help achieve strong bones in children and adolescents."
Although eight in 10 respondents will take a lunchbreak at work, they will only venture outside twice a week for a total of just 25 minutes on average during the winter.
Over half of those surveyed admit they make less effort to go outdoors during their break time in the winter - with 83 per cent saying: "it's too cold".
Indeed taking a lunchbreak is the only time seven in 10 hard-working Brits will see any daylight in the working week.
And worse still, around half of people admit there are weekends when they don't leave the house at all in the colder months.
Seven in 10 of those surveyed say they don't get enough exposure to daylight during the winter and over two thirds of respondents feel more tired as a result.
Almost half of people believe they suffer from the "winter blues" and seven in 10 respondents find it harder to motivate themselves during the wintertime.
More than half of people said they go out for a walk less often and a third will also exercise less. While one in three admit they don't socialise in the colder months compared to rest of the year.
Instead three in five people watch TV at home, 50 per cent eat "lots" of food and over a third spend time in their pyjamas.
A spokesman for Cambridge Nutraceuticals added: "When we reach 50 we're less good at producing vitamin D - even in the sunshine. Overweight and darker skinned people also produce lower levels.
"Although you can get vitamin D through certain foods, sometimes eating enough of the right foods is difficult, so more and more people are taking vitamin D supplements.
"The problem is 'standard' supplements aren't easily absorbed by the body, whereas our unique vitamin D formulation uses black pepper extract which allows vitamin D to be better absorbed."
Cambridge Nutraceuticals develops natural healthcare supplements with proven "clinical effectiveness".
It is well-known for its Ateronon Heart Health product, also known as 'The Tomato Pill'.
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