Food Standards Scotland have launched a campaign aimed at encouraging people to take a daily vitamin D supplement.
Getting enough vitamin D is important to support bone and muscle health.
In Scotland, between October and March, we don’t get enough of the right kind of sunlight for our bodies to make vitamin D.
Therefore, FSS are recommending that everyone considers taking a supplement containing 10 micrograms (400 IU) of vitamin D daily.
People who are more likely to be deficient in vitamin D are recommended to take a daily supplement all year round. Those more at risk include:
- 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
Visit our website to find out more about vitamin D.
