Vitamin D pills – what's the truth?

You may have seen headlines saying that vitamin D supplements did not improve bone health and did not prevent fractures and falls, although, according to official recommendations, everyone should consider take, especially in autumn and winter.

So what is the truth?

Why do we need vitamin D?

Vitamin D supplements have been hotly debated for many years.

Some say that they preserve the health of their bones and help fight colds and flu, while others claim that they are wasting money.

Vitamin D helps control the amount of calcium and phosphate in our body, which is needed for healthy bones, teeth and muscles.

Normally, it is made when the skin is exposed to the sun – so we have enough in the spring and summer.

But in autumn and winter, when sunlight is scarce, less vitamin is produced and in the UK one in five people becomes deficient.

Although some foods contain vitamin D, it is difficult to obtain the recommended amount in this way.

That is why, in 2016, health officials said that everyone should consider taking a daily vitamin D pill as it would be difficult for some people to adhere to the 10 micrograms recommended by the experts.

They said the advice was to protect the health of bones and muscles.

This does not mean that everyone has to buy supplements – just ask if they need it.

The behind-the-cuff study is a broad meta-analysis of 81 previous trials of vitamin D and bone health, but only four of these trials involved people with vitamin deficiency.

Healthy people with healthy levels of vitamin D will probably not see any benefit.

Public Health England responded that his opinion was still appropriate.

Stick to current advice

Other independent experts have also criticized the fact that taking supplements is only effective if your vitamin intake is low.

Professor Adrian Martineau of Queen Mary University in London said the findings "do not provide any reason to revisit or re-examine" current advice.

And Professor Martin Hewison, of the Society for Endocrinology, said the benefits of vitamin D supplements were hard to determine from the study, even if it involved a large number of people.

The researchers, writing in The Lancet Diabetes and Endocrinology, claim themselves that "there should be more research."

Deficiency is defined as having vitamin D levels below 25 nanomoles per liter of blood serum (nmol / L).

Who should take vitamin D?

• Anyone over the age of four should take 10 micrograms of vitamin D every day, especially from October to March.
• Pregnant and breastfeeding women and at-risk groups (such as dark-skinned ethnic minorities, elderly people living in retirement homes, and people wearing clothes that cover most of the skin) should take 10 micrograms Vitamin D daily all year round
• Children 1 to 4 years old should take 10 micrograms of vitamin D supplements all year round
• All babies under one year of age should take between 8.5 and 10 micrograms of vitamin D daily (especially those who are breastfed).

Public Health England recommends that a healthy and balanced diet and short rays of sun mean that most people get all the vitamin D they need in the spring and summer.

Which foods contain vitamin D?

• fatty fish
• Red meat
• liver
• egg yolks
• Fortified foods, like most fat spreads and some breakfast cereals