Vitamin D: The sunshine vitamin!

Unlike other vitamins, vitamin D comes mainly from sun rather than from food, hence it is known as the sunshine vitamin. We make vitamin D when our skin is exposed to sunlight.

According to the Department of Health the sun's UVB rays are too weak in the UK from October to March. Therefore Public Health Scotland recommends everybody over the age of 5 take a 10 micrograms of supplement of vitamin D during autumn and winter and all year round if they are in a risk group.

At risk groups such as babies, over 65 year olds when skin is less efficient at producing vitamin D, darker skin individuals, people living in care homes or housebound, vegans if they don’t eat the main sources of vitamin. Always consult your GP if you're unsure.

The recommended form is vitamin D3 or cholecalciferol which is a naturally occurring form produced by our skin after exposure to the sun.

Role of vitamin D:

• Vitamin D is essential to enable calcium to be absorbed from the gut and then deposits it in the bones and health. Therefore it helps to strengthen bones and teeth.

• Studies have shown that vitamin D can activate hunter killer white blood cells in the body's immune system thereby strengthening our immune system (Martineau et al 2017).

• Vitamin D helps to keep muscles strong and healthy.

• It is essential to convert food into energy.

Food Sources of vitamin D:

• Oily fish

• Eggs

• Dairy produce

• Beef liver

• Mushrooms

• Fortified foods such as breakfast cereals

• Fortified drinks such as milk and malted hot drinks.

References:

Martineau, A.R., Jolliffe, D.A., Hooper, R.L., Greenberg, L., Aloia, J.F., Bergman, P., Dubnov-Raz, G., Esposito, S., Ganmaa, D., Ginde, A.A. and Goodall, E.C., 2017. Vitamin D supplementation to prevent acute respiratory tract infections: systematic review and meta-analysis of individual participant data. bmj, 356.