Government health experts have advised that people throughout the UK should have started taking a daily vitamin D supplement some six weeks ago, with supplementation described as essential from 1 October for maintaining optimal health and fitness.
According to NHS guidance, vitamin D is crucial for maintaining healthy bones, teeth and muscles. A lack of the vitamin can result in bone deformities such as rickets in children and a condition called osteomalacia, or "soft bones", in adults.
Why vitamin D matters
During the summer months, most people can obtain sufficient vitamin D from sunlight, with the vitamin playing a critical role in regulating calcium and phosphate levels in the body.
Symptoms of rickets in children and osteomalacia in adults include swollen, painful wrists; alterations in walking patterns; difficulty ascending stairs or rising from a chair due to weak muscles; pain in the back, shoulder, ribs, pelvis or legs; tingling, cramping or twitching of muscles; and fracturing bones more frequently or following a minor accident, particularly the hips, lower back and feet.
Who should take it and how much
Government health experts recommend everyone take a daily supplement from 1 October until early March. NHS guidance also advises that children aged one to four, and babies who are not consuming more than 500ml of infant formula daily, should take a supplement year-round.
Children aged one and over, alongside adults, need 10 micrograms (mcg) of vitamin D each day. This includes pregnant and breastfeeding women, as well as those at risk of vitamin D deficiency. According to NHS guidance, a 10 microgram vitamin D supplement is sufficient throughout autumn and winter.
Vitamin D and Covid-19
The NHS said: "There have been some reports about vitamin D reducing the risk of coronavirus (Covid-19). But there is currently not enough evidence to support taking vitamin D solely to prevent or treat Covid-19."
The Department of Health and Social Care recommends that babies up to one year old should have a daily supplement containing 8.5 to 10 micrograms of vitamin D throughout the year, whether breastfed or formula-fed and consuming less than 500ml (approximately a pint) of infant formula daily. Vitamin D tablets are readily available from many retailers from around 3p per pill.
