Benefits Of Vitamin D

As many of us find ourselves confined to our houses due to social isolation measures, concerns tend to arise about the lack of sunlight and possible vitamin D deficiency. For many, a go-to fix is to take supplements. Both Vitamin D2 and D3 supplements are widely available over-the-counter, without a prescri ption, and have been linked to improving the immune system, bone health, and even potentially reducing depressive symptoms.

But there is debate about whether we should all be taking Vitamin D. Some experts say that people with healthy levels of the vitamin have no need to supplement with extra - which would be most people. In other words, Vitamin D may not be, in healthy people, a miracle way to prevent disease.

Few doubt the role that vitamin D plays in our bone health to regulate calcium and phosphate in the body, which is why those who have a vitamin D deficiency are particularly encouraged to address it. Lacking Vitamin D? You alongside 20% of the UK population - more than you might think!

Back to basics

Contrary to its name, &vitamin D is not a vitamin. Instead, it is a hormone that promotes the absorption of calcium in the body. Best sourced from "ultraviolet B" rays (presence of sunshine!), where our skin can produce vitamin D from a common cholesterol, Vitamin D is hard to find in the average diet. Found in egg yolks (23 eggs to get the right amount!), meat and some oily fish, it can be a challenge to ensure you are producing sufficient levels.

There are two main types of D.

The first is vitamin D3, which is found in animals including fish and is the kind the skin makes when exposed to sunlight. The second is vitamin D2, which can be supplemented, as is found mainly in plants.

Currently, the UK s Public Health England (PHE) recommends every adult takes a 10-microgram supplement in autumn and winter, when UVB rays are lower. &It is also recommenced that those at risk of lower vitamin D levels, including people with darker skin, take a year-round dosage.

Other countries follow similar guidelines. In Canada, advice is to get 15 micrograms of vitamin D and have two servings of vitamin-D fortified milk or soy alternatives every day, while cow`s milk and margarine must be fortified with vitamin D by law. In the US, adults also are advised to get 15 micrograms, while much of the country s milk, breakfast cereals, margarine, yogurts and orange juice is fortified, too.

Those guidelines and fortification efforts came about largely in an attempt to fight rickets in the mid 20th Century. We know that having persistent low levels of Vitamin D, reduces the body s levels of calcium, which leads to a decrease in bone density and can cause rickets, &particularly in babies and children.

However, that advice has recently been upgraded, at least by the Association of UK Dieticians, in light of self-isolation during the current pandemic. In a post released in March 2020, as the UK entered spring, it said: "If you are having to self isolate or if you are unable to go outside, you should consider taking a daily supplement containing 10 micrograms to ensure a healthy vitamin D status (for adults and children over the age of one).'