Are you getting enough?
Are you getting enough Vitamin D every day? In fact, thinking about it, how much is ‘enough?’
Before we delve deeper into the ins and outs of Vitamin D, let’s spend a minute or two focusing on what it is, the main sources of Vitamin D and what it does to our body.
What is Vitamin D and what does it do?
Vitamin D is the vitamin that is responsible for helping to regulate how much calcium and phosphate we have in our body.
It is these nutrients that make sure our bones, teeth and muscles stay nice and healthy.
Our bodies are fully capable of making enough vitamin D to keep us healthy but it is our lifestyles that sometimes cause us to fall short.
In fact, it is thought that as many as 1 in 5 people in the UK have a vitamin D deficiency.
How much Vitamin D do I need?
According to the NHS guidance:
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- Babies up to the age of 1 year – need 8.5 to 10 micrograms of vitamin D a day.
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- Children from the age of one – need 10 micrograms of vitamin D a day. This includes pregnant and breastfeeding women and people at risk of vitamin D deficiency.
- Adults – need 10 micrograms every day if they are not often outdoors, live in a care home, have dark skin or fully cover up when they are in the sun.1
Ideally, if you are at risk of having low Vitamin D levels, you should consider taking a Vitamin D supplement all-year round. This also applies to children from the age of one to four.2
How can I boost my Vitamin D levels?
We tend to get most of our Vitamin D from the sun.
However, because it is not permanently sunny all-year round in the UK, and because not all of us spend lots of time outside in the sun, it is easy for us not to have enough of it in our system.
Vitamin D is known as the ‘sunshine vitamin’ because our bodies can actually make and absorb Vitamin D from sun exposure.
How long do I need to spend in the sun to get enough vitamin D?
Spending between five and 30 minutes in the sun from 10am and 3pm twice a week on the face, arms, legs, or back without sunscreen is usually enough to help boost our intake.3
Uncover your forearms, lower legs, hands and face. Sitting by a sunny window or in a car sadly does not count, because the glass will block the UVB rays.
Most people in the UK are at risk of Vitamin D deficiency during winter months, even if they get outside every day. It can therefore make sense to take a daily Vitamin D3 supplement to keep your levels topped up.
Summary
The best way to maintain healthy levels of vitamin D is by making sure we benefit from several sources, primarily:
- The sun
- Foods
- Vitamin D supplements4
Sources
