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Vitamin D supplements cost as little as 2p per day (Image: Getty)
Dietary supplements are a common part of many people’s health routines, particularly if planning a New Year health kick. But did you know there is one supplement the Government recommends everyone should be taking during the colder months?
Dietary supplements often play a crucial role in many people’s health regimens, especially when gearing up for a New Year wellness overhaul. However, there’s one supplement the Government specifically advises everyone to take during the chillier months.
Between October and late March, people in the UK are encouraged to consume a small daily dose of vitamin D. This is because the limited sunlight during these months means most individuals don’t get enough natural exposure to produce sufficient vitamin D on their own. These supplements come in various forms, including pills, capsules, gummies, or drops. Here’s what you need to know about the importance of vitamin D.
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A lack of vitamin D can lead to bone deformities such as rickets (a condition where the bones become weak and soft) in children. It can also cause a condition called osteomalacia in adults, leading to bone pain, muscle weakness and fractures.
What does the Government recommend?
Vitamin D plays a vital role in regulating the body’s levels of calcium and phosphate. These nutrients are essential for maintaining healthy bones, teeth, and muscles.
A deficiency in vitamin D can lead to bone deformities such as rickets in children, a condition where bones become soft and weak. In adults, it can result in osteomalacia, which causes bone pain, muscle weakness, and an increased risk of fractures.
To counter these risks, it is recommended that everyone in the UK takes a daily supplement containing 10 micrograms (equivalent to 400 international units) of vitamin D during the autumn and winter months.
“These groups are more at risk of not having enough vitamin D. Those with dark skin (such as people who have an African, African-Caribbean or South Asian background) may also not get enough vitamin D from sunlight.
“All of these groups are advised to take a vitamin D supplement all year round in line with usual government dietary advice.”
There was once a service people could use to apply for free vitamin D supplements, however this closed in 2021.
Where can you get vitamin D?
From late March or early April until the end of September, most people can make all the vitamin D they need from sunlight. The body makes vitamin D from sunlight when UV-B rays hit your skin.
Vitamin D is also found in foods including oily fish, red meat, egg yolks and fortified foods such as some fat spreads and breakfast cereals.
Dietary supplements are also available in pharmacies for as little 2p per day. Vitamin D3 is usually recommended.
Can you get too much vitamin D?
Yes. You cannot overdose on vitamin D through exposure to sunlight but taking too many supplements over a long period of time can cause too much calcium to build up in the body, weakening the bones and causing kidney and heart damage.
When taking vitamin D supplements, 10 micrograms per day is enough for most people. The NHS advises that no one should take more than 100 micrograms (4,000IU) per day as it can be harmful.
If your doctor has recommended you take a different amount of vitamin D, you should follow their advice.
