All adults (including women who are pregnant or breastfeeding) should consider taking a daily vitamin D supplement during autumn and winter. If you get little sunlight, you may need to take vitamin D supplements throughout the year.
Vitamin D is sometimes called the 'sunshine vitamin' because your body makes it when sunlight reaches your skin. It's also found in foods such as oily fish, egg yolks and some fortified breakfast cereals. But during the darker months, it can be difficult to get all the vitamin D you need from food alone. That's where vitamin D supplements can come in handy.
Why Do We Need Vitamin D?
Vitamin D helps your body to regulate its calcium and phosphate levels. These nutrients are needed to keep your bones, teeth and muscles healthy. In adults, a lack of vitamin D can cause bone pain that's linked to a condition called osteomalacia.
Note: the term 'vitamin D' technically refers to several different compounds. When most people (including the NHS) talk about vitamin D, they're specifically referring to vitamin D3 – the one that comes from exposure to sunlight.
When to Take Vitamin D Supplements
In the UK, most people get all the vitamin D they need from the sun during the spring and summer months. But from late September to early March, you're unlikely to get enough sun exposure to meet your body's vitamin D demands.
For this reason, UK government advice states that everyone should take a daily vitamin D supplement in autumn and winter.
Adults who get little vitamin D from the sun even during spring and summer should consider taking supplements all year round. This advice applies to:
- People who rarely go outside (whether by choice or because they're unable to)
- People who keep most of their skin covered while outdoors
- People with dark skin (since they produce less vitamin D when exposed to sunlight)
If you frequently go outdoors and get plenty of sunlight in spring and summer, you probably don't need to take a vitamin D supplement during that part of the year.
Note that recommendations differ for children and babies. Supplements Direct's vitamin D products (available in gummy or soft gel capsule form) are great for adults who want to boost their vitamin D intake, but they aren't suitable for anyone under the age of 18.