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Find out about the importance of vitamin D and our nutritionists top tips on how to introduce it into yours and your little one's diets.
Around 1 in 6 adults have vitamin D levels lower than government recommendations, according to the latest Diet and Nutrition Survey data in the UK. Similarly, dietary surveys in young children have also shown that some children aged 1-3 are not meeting nutritional requirements for vitamin D and some other important nutrients. But why is vitamin D important, and how do we get it?
Vitamin D helps regulate the amount of calcium and phosphate in our bodies, helping to keep bones, teeth and muscles healthy. It also contributes to the normal function of the immune system in adults.
In children, vitamin D is needed for normal growth and development of bone, and also helps normal functioning of the immune system.
A lack of vitamin D can lead to bone deformities such as rickets in children, and bone pain caused by a condition called osteomalacia in adults.
Vitamin D is only found in a few foods such as oily fish and eggs, as well as in some foods that have been fortified with vitamins and minerals, like breakfast cereals.
We also get vitamin D from the reaction of the sun’s UVB with skin. In fact, in the summer months, the majority of adults and children aged 4 years and older will probably get sufficient vitamin D from being outdoors in the sunshine, and by following a healthy, balanced diet.
However, during the winter months, when UVB rays are limited, our intake falls short. That’s why the government recommends all adults and children over 4 years old take a daily supplement containing 10 mcg of vitamin D during the autumn and winter. And for those who have very little sun exposure, this guidance applies all year round.
This same advice applies during pregnancy. If you’re not sure whether you need to take a vitamin D supplement during the spring and summer months of your pregnancy, talk to your healthcare professional.
You can also tailor your diet to include more vitamin D, for example by:
For more information on what makes up a healthy balanced diet during pregnancy, follow the guidance of the Government’s Eatwell guide.
But remember there’s no need to balance every meal you eat, so long as you aim for balance throughout your day and across the week.
It’s also important to note that the advice on vitamin D supplementation during pregnancy is in addition to the recommendation for 400 mcg of folic acid up to the 12th week of pregnancy. For further advice on folic acid, and vitamin supplements in pregnancy, see our fact sheet‘vitamins and supplements to take during pregnancy'.
Although summer sunlight on the skin is the main source of vitamin D for older children and adults, it’s really important to keep your little one’s skin safe in the sun – which usually means covering them up, or keeping them in the shade. Since this limits their exposure to the sun, food and vitamin D supplements are really the only suitable source of vitamin D.
For babies aged up to one year, the recommendation for vitamin D supplementation is that:
Infants from 1 – 4 years of age are recommended to be given a daily supplement containing 10 micrograms of vitamin D.
Once your baby has begun weaning, there are more options to include vitamin D in their diet. For example:
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*10% off HiPP's online shop does not apply to our First Infant, Anti-Reflux or Comfort Formula Milk.
Important notice: Breastfeeding is best. Follow on milk should only be used as part of a mixed diet from 6 months. Talk to a healthcare professional.
