With more sunshine slowly creeping in as spring arrives, it's vital to ensure we're getting enough of the nutrients our bodies need to stay healthy.
Vitamin D is one such supplement, recommended by both the NHS and the UK Government for everyone in the UK until winter ends.
This vitamin plays several key roles, including supporting bones, teeth, and muscles. The NHS cautions that a deficiency can lead to deformities such as rickets in children, and a condition called osteomalacia causing bone pain in adults.
Our main source of vitamin D is sunlight. However, in the UK, we only get enough of the right kind of sunlight for our bodies to produce vitamin D between April and September.
From October to March, we often have to rely on foods containing vitamin D, but it's usually difficult to get enough from diet alone. Hence, the government advises everyone to consider taking a daily vitamin D supplement during autumn and winter.
This advice is based on recommendations from the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN), who provide independent advice to the government based on scientific evidence. According to Public Health England and Public Health Scotland, everyone, including children, should consider taking a daily supplement containing 10 micrograms (10μg) of vitamin D.
Affordable Vitamin D supplements are readily available to help maintain adequate levels without breaking the bank. On Amazon, a jar of Vitamin D 4,000 IU Softgels Supplements can be snapped up for just £6.79, and Vitabiotics has an offer for a packet of Ultra Vitamin D 4000IU with 96 tablets at a mere £6.15 - that's approximately 6p per tablet.
Specific groups, such as those more prone to vitamin D deficiencies, youngsters between one and four years old, and infants on less than 500ml of formula milk daily should consider year-round supplementation. Victoria Taylor, Senior Dietitian at the British Heart Foundation, advised: "It's recommended that everyone take a supplement containing 10 micrograms (10 μg, equivalent to 400 IU) of vitamin D daily in autumn and winter."
She further noted, "More than this is not necessary, and is likely to be more expensive, but you can safely take up to 25 micrograms if that's the size you can find. Don't take very high doses of vitamin D, as if you do this over a long period of time, it can cause too much calcium to build up in the body, which can weaken the bones and damage the kidneys and heart."
From late March or early April until the end of September, most people should be able to get all the vitamin D they need from sunlight, according to NHS advice. It's recommended that children over one year old and adults, including pregnant and breastfeeding women and those at risk of deficiency, should have 10 micrograms of vitamin D daily.
Health experts suggest that babies under a year old should have between 8.5 to 10 micrograms of vitamin D each day. To put it into perspective, a microgram is a thousand times smaller than a milligram, so vitamin D content is sometimes expressed in International Units (IU), with 1 microgram equating to 40 IU.
This means that 10 micrograms of vitamin D is equivalent to 400 IU.
But can you get enough vitamin D from your diet?
Vitamin D is naturally present in foods like oily fish, red meat, liver and egg yolks, and is also added to certain products such as breakfast cereals and fat spreads. The British Heart Foundation has revealed that a 140g piece of baked salmon contains 10.2 micrograms, a bowl of fortified bran flakes has 1.5 micrograms and an egg has 1.9 micrograms.
According to NHS guidelines, vitamin D is present in:
- oily fish – such as salmon, sardines, herring and mackerel
- red meat
- liver
- egg yolks
- fortified foods – such as some fat spreads and breakfast cereals
Who should consider taking a vitamin D supplement?
Advice for adults and children over 4 years old:
The advice for adults and children over 4 years old is that everyone, including pregnant and breastfeeding women, should consider taking a daily supplement containing 10 micrograms of vitamin D during the autumn and winter months.
Advice for people at risk of vitamin D deficiency:
For those who don't get enough sunlight exposure, the Department of Health and Social Care advises adults and children over 4 to consider a daily supplement with 10 micrograms of vitamin D throughout the year. .
This advice is particularly pertinent for individuals with darker skin tones – such as those of African, African-Caribbean or south Asian heritage – who may not produce sufficient vitamin D from sunlight. A daily supplement containing 10 micrograms of vitamin D all year round is recommended.
Advice for infants and young children:
The Department also provides guidance for infants and young children. Infants from birth to 1 year should take a daily supplement with 8.5 to 10 micrograms of vitamin D throughout the year.
Children aged one to four years old should also receive a daily supplement with 10 micrograms of vitamin D all year round.
Vitamin D supplements or drops suitable for under fives can be easily found in most pharmacies and supermarkets.
Can vitamin D help with other health problems?
While the primary role of vitamin D is to maintain healthy bones and muscles, its potential benefits for other health problems are still being explored. There isn't enough evidence yet to draw conclusions about its impact on other diseases, like heart and circulatory diseases, or coronavirus risk.
A study from Scotland in 2015, partially funded by the BHF, found that low levels of vitamin D are linked with a higher risk of cardiovascular disease. However, this is due to lifestyle factors that increase your risk of heart disease and stroke, not the cause of the heightened risk.
It's important to note that taking too much vitamin D over a prolonged period can lead to hypercalcaemia, a condition where excess calcium builds up in the body, potentially weakening the bones and harming the kidneys and heart.
Therefore, it's recommended to discuss with your GP if you have any worries.
Signs of vitamin D deficiency
Symptoms of vitamin D deficiency can include:
- fatigue and low energy
- bone and muscle pain
- hair loss
- slower wound healing
- frequent illness
- muscle aches or cramps
- mood changes
- difficulty sleeping
