Vitamin D is one of the essential nutrients needed by the body. It’s also one of the few vitamins recommended for supplementation by health authorities such as the NHS.

There are two main ways to get enough vitamin D, which are through ingesting it, either through the food you eat or a supplement and through your skin when exposed to sunlight. You can see how in certain countries sunlight can be a seasonal issue, which is why it’s advised to take a vitamin D supplement in the autumn and winter in the UK.

Why do we need vitamin D?

The headline benefit of vitamin D is that it keeps our bones strong and healthy. In years gone by, children would develop rickets, a disease of the bones through vitamin D deficiencies. Thankfully, these days we know that we need to top up on this nutrient to avoid this.

Vitamin D has a wider range of vital roles around the body however, these include:

• Maintaining healthy bones and teeth.
• Helping with muscle health.
• Working with your immune system.
• Aiding calcium absorption, a mineral that’s also integral to bone health.
• Aiding cell generation.
• Regulating your blood pressure.

As we know, one of the important sources of vitamin D is through exposure to sunlight, but what about the foods we eat? You can work towards your RDA by ensuring you’re eating enough oily fish, red meat, egg yolks and fortified foods such as breakfast cereals.

Despite this, it’s important to note that health advice is still based on taking a daily supplement in the autumn and winter in countries like the UK.

What could cause a vitamin D deficiency?

A lack of exposure to sunlight and not eating enough foods that are rich in vitamin D can result in a deficiency in the vitamin. This is why you should follow any local advice around supplementation as well as work the foods containing vitamin D into your diet where possible.

Interestingly, fair-skinned and younger people also convert sunshine into vitamin D more easily than people over 50 or with darker skin, so being aware of where you fit into those groups will also help guide your choices.

Symptoms of a vitamin D deficiency

A vitamin D deficiency will manifest itself in numerous ways, including muscle pain and fatigue and even low mood.

In more extreme cases, you may be diagnosed with osteoporosis, which is when your bones are thin and brittle, often found in older people, or osteomalacia, which is when the bones are too soft. This tends to affect the other end of the age spectrum, being prevalent in children with vitamin D deficiencies.

If you’re unsure of your symptoms, it’s wise to consult a doctor to get further advice, as well as follow recommendations from your local health authority around vitamin D.

Choosing a vitamin D supplement

Vitamin D supplements are easily found in most major supermarkets and chemists. There are different kinds of vitamin D supplements, and those variations are based on the sources of vitamin D used and the ways they interact with your body.

Here are the two main types:

• Vitamin D2, ergocalciferol – this is the type you’ll find most easily in supermarkets. It’s relatively cheaply produced from ingredients such as mushrooms and this makes it cheaper to buy as well, which is the main advantage.
• Vitamin D3, cholecalciferol – is usually obtained through animal sources such as lanolin, but also vegan sources such as algae and lichen. The important difference is that vitamin D3 is the form your body naturally produces. In the right supplement, a vitamin D3 dose will be easier to absorb to further benefit the body.

In summary

It can sometimes feel like a vitamin supplement is a nice-to-have in your diet, but in the case of vitamin D, it’s more important for the majority of us to keep an eye on our intake than most other nutrients.

Our bodies need vitamin D to stave off health-threatening illnesses and to keep us feeling fit and well. It’s unique too in the way that we don’t just get it from food sources, but from sunlight as well. This interesting quirk means that people living in climates with reduced sunlight at points of the year need to supplement their vitamin D.

There are different forms of vitamin D supplements with many studies backing up the effectiveness of vitamin D3, the type that is in line with the natural vitamin D our bodies produce. Being aware of this and keeping important health advice at the forefront of your mind as you shop will enable you to make the right choices and nurture your wellbeing.