Vitamin D

It's important that everyone gets enough vitamin D

Why do I need vitamin D?

We're encouraging everyone in Scotland to consider taking a 10 micrograms/µg supplement of vitamin D (400 IU) between October and March..

Vitamin D has a number of important functions and is needed to support bone and muscle health.

Our main source of vitamin D is sunlight. In Scotland, we only get enough of the right kind of sunlight for our bodies to make vitamin D between April and September, mostly between 11 am and 3 pm. From October to March, we need to rely on dietary sources of vitamin D.

Since vitamin D is found only in a small number of foods, it might be difficult to get enough from foods that naturally contain vitamin D and/or fortified foods alone. Good food sources include:

oily fish
eggs
fortified foods such as some breakfast cereals and spreads

Vitamin D supplements

Everyone, including children, should consider taking a daily supplement containing 10 micrograms/µg of vitamin D (400 IU), particularly during the winter months (October – March). 

It's specifically recommended that groups at higher risk of vitamin D deficiency take a daily supplement all year round. These groups include:

all pregnant and breastfeeding women
infants and children under 5 years old
people who have low or no exposure to the sun, for example those who cover their skin for cultural reasons, are housebound, confined indoors for long periods or live in an institution
people from minority ethnic groups with dark skin such as those of African, African-Caribbean and south Asian origin, who require more sun exposure to make as much vitamin D

The current guidance on sun exposure should be followed. 10–15 minutes of unprotected Scottish sun exposure is safe for all. Once sunscreen is correctly applied, vitamin D synthesis is blocked. Staying in the sun for prolonged periods without the protection of sunscreen increases the risk of skin cancer.

Availability of vitamin D supplements

Vitamin D supplements can be purchased from most supermarkets, pharmacies or online. 

Healthy Start vitamins, which contain vitamin D, are available free of charge to all pregnant women in Scotland. Free vitamin D supplements containing the recommended daily amount are also available for mothers who breastfeed, in addition to infants and children under 3 years old. Please contact your midwife, family nurse or health visitor for more information.

Too much vitamin D may be harmful

Taking too many vitamin D supplements, or supplements containing a high a dose (exceeding 10 µg) over a long period of time can cause excess calcium to build up in the body. This can weaken bones and damage the kidneys and the heart.

Safe dosage advice is:

10 micrograms/µg per day (400 IU) is enough and is safe for most people
adults and children aged over 11 years should avoid daily high dose vitamin D supplements containing more than 100 micrograms/µg (4000 IU). This applies to pregnant and breastfeeding women, the elderly, and children aged 11 to 17 years
children aged 1 to 10 years should avoid daily high dose supplements with more than 50 micrograms/µg (2000 IU)
infants under 12 months should have no more than 25 micrograms /µg (1000 IU) of Vitamin D a day

Some people have certain medical conditions which mean they may not be able to safely take as much. If your GP has advised you to take a different amount of vitamin D, you should follow their advice.

If you're not sure whether you're at risk or not, or do not know which supplements to take, ask your GP, pharmacist, midwife or health visitor for further information.

Additional vitamin D resources

A general information leaflet 'Vitamin D and you ' by Public Health Scotland sets out the current advice on vitamin D. This is available in:

English
Arabic
Bengali
Polish
Traditional Chinese
Ukrainian
Urdu

You can also request the leaflet in alternative formats such as large print, braille and audio versions.

Did you find this helpful? We would love to hear from you.

Yes

Your feedback

Thank you for your feedback!