Vitamin D

Vitamin D helps your gut absorb calcium, which is essential for strong bones and teeth. In your blood, vitamin D is needed for the absorption and utilisation of calcium and phosphorus, which work together to maintain bone health. But vitamin D isn’t just about bones – it’s also important for muscle function and immune health.

Yes, if you don’t spend enough time outside with uncovered skin during the summer months you may develop a vitamin D deficiency. From October to early March, the sunshine in the UK doesn’t contain enough UVB radiation for our skin to create vitamin D. This could leave you with low vitamin D levels.

All adults and children over the age of one need 10mcg of vitamin D a day. This includes pregnant and breast-feeding women, too. Babies under one need 8.5mcg of vitamin D a day.

In addition to sunlight, vitamin D can be found in certain foods like oily fish, eggs, and fortified dairy products.

There are a few ways that you can increase Vitamin D levels such as making sure you spend time outside (especially in the summer months), eating foods that are rich in vitamin D or taking supplements.

If you stick to the recommended daily allowance of vitamin D, most people don’t experience side effects. If you take more vitamin D than is recommended you may experience side effects such as weakness, fatigue, headache, decreased appetite, nausea and vomiting.

No, vitamin D3 is not the same as vitamin D.

Vitamin D is a general term for a group of fat-soluble vitamins. Vitamin D3 is a specific type of vitamin D. Vitamin D3 is the type of vitamin D that our bodies produce when exposed to sunlight. 

Another form of vitamin D is vitamin D2, primarily found in plants, specifically yeast.

Sunscreen blocks some of the UVB rays your body needs to produce vitamin D. But, even with sunscreen, your skin can still produce some vitamin D. 

SPF is so important to help protect your skin, so make sure you continue to wear it when out in the sun!