Best supplements: What are the best supplements for vitamin D deficiency?

Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin that is naturally present in very few foods. Vitamin D promotes calcium absorption in the gut and maintains adequate serum calcium and phosphate needed for bone growth and bone remodelling. Without sufficient vitamin D, bones can become thin, brittle, or misshapen. Vitamin D is obtained from sun exposure, food, and supplements. Which supplements can a person take if they think they may be vitamin D deficient?

The NHS said: “Vitamin D helps regulate the amount of calcium and phosphate in the body.

“These nutrients are needed to keep bones, teeth and muscles healthy.

“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.

“Some people won’t get enough vitamin D from sunlight because they have very little or no sunshine exposure.

“The Department of Health recommends that you take a daily supplement containing 10 micrograms of vitamin D throughout the year if you are not outdoors, are in an institution like a care home or usually wear clothes that cover up most of your skin.”

If you choose to go the supplement route you should aim to take around 400 to 800 IU of vitamin D per day

Kerry Clifford of the Fresh Thyme Farmers Market

Kerry Clifford of the Fresh Thyme Farmers Market said: “If you choose to go the supplement route you should aim to take around 400 to 800 IU of vitamin D per day.

“Some research has found the potency of supplements varies greatly among brands.

“Researchers found supplements from a USP-verified bottle were the most accurate and least variable, so when you’re looking for a supplement, be on the lookout for the USP mark.

“The best supplements for vitamin D are Garden of Life Vitamin, Solaray Vitamin D3 and Nature’s Way Vitamin D.”

Vitamin D supplements have been noted to help improve the immunity, tiredness, muscle weakness, bone pain and depression.

According to research by market analysis company, Mintel, a third of adults in the UK who take vitamin supplements count vitamin D among them.

The debate over whether adults need to take vitamin D supplements rages on.

Few doubt the role that vitamin D plays in our bone health to regulate calcium and phosphate in the body.

In 2012, chief medical officer Sally Davies wrote a letter to GP’s urging them to recommend vitamin D supplements to all at-risk groups, writing that a “significant proportion” of people in the UK probably have inadequate levels of vitamin D.

In June 2018, researchers from the University of Birmingham’s Institute of Metabolism and Systems Research wrote that the death of a baby from complications of heart failure caused by severe vitamin D deficiency, and the serious health complications of two others, was just the “tip of the iceberg” in vitamin D deficiencies among those at risk.

Holland and Barrett recommend their top sellers for vitamin D supplements which are Calcium plus Vitamin D, Vitamin D3 100 and Calcium and Magnesium vitamin D3

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