In April 2020, the UK Government issued new advice which encourages people to take a vitamin D supplement. So, what does this mean in practice and why has this advice been issued? This article explains it all.
Firstly, what is vitamin D?
Vitamin D is also known as the sunshine vitamin. It’s actually not a vitamin at all, but a hormone which is made in the skin when it’s exposed to the UVB sunlight. During the autumn and winter months in the UK it is especially important to make sure you are getting enough of this vitamin as we can’t make enough of it from the sunlight at this time of year.
Why is vitamin D important?
Vitamin D is needed to help the body absorb calcium and phosphate from our diet, both of which are essential for healthy bones and muscles and can help reduce the risk of osteomalcia (softening of the bones) and rickets in children.
Vitamin D has many roles beyond bone health. Evidence suggests vitamin D could also benefit the heart and immune system and studies suggest it may help maintain a balanced mood (SACN, 2016).
What is the Government’s advice on vitamin D supplements?
All children from the age of 1 year and adults should take a vitamin D supplement of 10 µg (micrograms) a day. This is the equivalent to 400 IU (International Units).
Breastfed babies from birth up to 1 year of age should be given a daily supplement of between 8.5 µg and 10 µg (or 340 and 400 IU) to make sure they get enough.
Why are we being advised to take a supplement of vitamin D?
During the summer months from around late March/early April to the end of September, most people get all the vitamin D they need from being outside in the sunlight. However, due to the current lockdown, many of us are indoors most of the day and so may not be getting enough vitamin D from sunlight.
People with dark skin may also not be getting enough vitamin D from sunlight even if they do spend some time outside.
Although there has been some news reports and posts on social media about vitamin D reducing the risk of coronavirus, there is no evidence that this is the case. The advice to supplement with vitamin D has been issued because of vitamin D’s important role in bone and muscle health.
Can I get vitamin D from food?
Yes, but vitamin D is only found in a small number of foods. Sources include oily fish such as salmon, mackerel, herring and trout as well as egg yolks and red meat.
For those who don’t eat any meat or fish there are some plant-foods and drinks that may be fortified with vitamin D, for example breakfast cereals, spreads and plant-based milk drinks.
Mushrooms contain a little amount of vitamin D, but you can increase the amount of vitamin D by placing the mushrooms (with the gills facing upwards) on a sunny windowsill for a few hours. There are also some vitamin D enhanced mushrooms available in supermarkets that have been grown under an ultraviolet light.
Top tip for taking your vitamin D supplement!
As vitamin D is fat-soluble, your body will absorb it better when you take your vitamin D supplement with some food containing fat. It is best to take your vitamin D supplement along with a meal.
Some studies have shown that by taking a vitamin D supplement along with the largest meal in the day (often the evening meal) the absorption is improved by about 50% (Mulligan & Licata, 2010).
So, if you’re not getting outside in the sunshine a lot, or if you’ve dark skin, continue taking a daily vitamin D supplement of 10 µg over the summer months and try to include some foods with vitamin D in your diet.
References
Mulligan GB & Licata A (2010) Taking vitamin D with the largest meal improves absorption and results in higher serum levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D. J Bone Miner Res 25(4): 928-30. Available: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20200983
SACN (2016) Vitamin D and Health. Available: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/sacn-vitamin-d-and-health-report
Author: Laura Wyness, RNutr
Photo source: Pixabay copyright free