Vitamin D
New Advice To Take Vitamin D Supplements
New advice on vitamin D from Public Health England (PHE), says that children and adults over the age of one should have 10 micrograms (mcg) of vitamin D every day. People are not meeting these levels through diet alone (from e.g. oily fish, fortified cereals and eggs), so this means that some people may want to consider taking a supplement, including children.
It's recommended that children aged one to four years should have a daily 10mcg vitamin D supplement all year round. As a precaution, all babies under one year should have a daily 8.5-10mcg vitamin D supplement. These are available free to low-income families through the Healthy Start scheme.
Katharine Jenner, chief executive of Blood Pressure UK, said: “Interestingly, low vitamin D levels have often been associated with high blood pressure, yet more research is required as this is yet to be proven.
"Either way, it is important to have adequate levels of vitamin D, as deficiency can cause symptoms such as tiredness, general aches and pains, and, if more severe, rickets in children and osteomalacia in adults."
You can get vitamin D in two ways: through your diet and moderate exposure to sunlight.
Foods rich in vitamin D include:
- oily fish, such as salmon, sardines and mackerel
- eggs
- fortified fat spreads
- fortified breakfast cereals
- powdered milk
A good diet and regularly going outside for a few minutes in the middle of the day without wearing sunscreen between April and October should provide enough exposure to create sufficient vitamin D during the Summer months, however you should consider taking a supplement throughout the Winter months.
For more information:
SACN's Review of Vitamin D and Health