Vitamin D isn’t technically a vitamin as it’s both a nutrient that we can eat, as well as a hormone that we make ourselves. But we need sunlight to make it ourselves and in the UK, during winter and autumn, the sun isn’t strong enough to produce vitamin D in the skin.
Despite this, almost half of British adults (49%) don’t know that the government recommends taking vitamin D supplements during autumn and winter.
We need vitamin D for healthy bones, for muscle health and our immune system. It may help with our overall well-being, playing a role in regulating mood, reducing depression and supporting weight loss. Latest studies have also suggested a link between vitamin D and the risk of dementia.
Around 1 in 6 adults in the UK have low levels of vitamin D. Symptoms of vitamin D deficiency include tiredness, aches, and pains, bone or muscle pain, weakness, and stress fractures. Groups at risk of vitamin D deficiency include people with darker skin, as well as those with obesity, osteoporosis or malabsorption disorders.
Levels of vitamin D can be measured via a blood test.
While daily sunlight exposure is recommended to boost vitamin D levels, we can obtain some vitamin D from the diet. Oily fish such as salmon, mackerel and sardines as well as egg yolks, red meat and liver are all sources of vitamin D.
The government advises that we have 10 micrograms of vitamin D daily.
Most of our vitamin D is made through our skin when we are outside. From April to September in the UK, sunlight plus a healthy balanced diet will probably be enough to meet most people’s needs.
But the average vitamin D intake in the UK from food is thought to be less than 3 micrograms, so from October to March, it’s advisable to take a vitamin D supplement. People who don’t go outside much, or who cover up when they do go outside, as well as young children and babies, are advised to take a supplement all year round.