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Top up on the ‘sunshine vitamin’ this winter and beyond
Exercising regularly and eating a healthy balanced diet are essential for keeping your body well and maintaining optimal health. However, there’s one vitamin that (despite eating healthily) you simply have to supplement in autumn and winter: vitamin D. Due to shorter days and lack of sun exposure, experts say we can all benefit from taking vitamin D in the colder, darker months.
Dr Sam Oliver, an expert in sport and exercise science at Bangor University, says that “from October through to March due to insufficient sunlight, a low-dose daily oral vitamin D3 supplement might be needed to maintain vitamin D sufficiency”.
The sunshine vitamin, so-called because we get most of our daily recommended allowance from the sun’s rays, is essential for maintaining musculoskeletal health by supporting our bones, teeth and muscles. Research has also linked it to boosting the immune system, and Dr Oliver and his colleagues made another significant discovery last year.
“More recently, a greater understanding of vitamin D’s role within the immune system means that maintaining vitamin D sufficiency may also be important to prevent and cope with respiratory infections,” he explains. “For example, our recent research indicates winter vitamin D supplementation reduces the duration and severity of the common cold.”
When it comes to vitamin D, we know it’s good for us and how it can help to support good health. However, there are a lot of options to choose from when you’re trying to select the right supplement for you and your family. We turned to experts to help demystify the process and tested each of the best options for ourselves too.
We tried a range of supplements with several methods of consumption, noting how easy they were to take, and considering a number of different strengths. It is possible to take too much vitamin D, which can have adverse effects, so do speak with your healthcare provider to find out which dose is right for you before beginning any new supplement protocol.
They say good things come in small packages, and this supplement proves that. Inside this compact, letterbox-friendly foil bag – which uses less plastic than conventional pill bottles – are 180 tiny tablets measuring 6mm, each delivering a high-quality 1,000IU vitamin D hit.
They are incredibly easy to swallow and leave no aftertaste, so they are perfect for anyone who struggles to take pills. Perhaps best of all, though, is the price: this bag will easily get you through autumn and winter.
Gel-capsule supplements tend to be among the easiest to swallow but they often contain gelatine, meaning they are not suitable for vegans. However, that isn’t the case with these Myvitamins vitamin D3 softgels. Each high-strength supplement is easy to swallow and made using lichen algae, helping you to get your daily vitamin D needs while on a plant-based diet.
The one-a-day dosage means a 180-capsule bottle provides almost six months’ worth of vitamin D, making these supplements super affordable and excellent value for money. We also like that the pot is made from recycled materials so it’s fully recyclable again when it’s empty.
Each one-a-day gummy delivers 500 per cent of your recommended daily dose of the sunshine vitamin whatever the weather. Gummies are a delicious way to take supplements, and we think it could help make the habit of taking them regularly easier to form because you’re likely to look forward to their yummy taste – just like our tester did.
Other pros of the Myvitamins vitamin D gummies are that they are suitable for vegetarians and the packaging is recyclable. However, like many gummy supplements, they do contain sugar, which is something to be aware of if you’re avoiding sugar.
Many supplements contain milk, come in gelatine capsules or have been tested on animals, so we wanted to include something that is suitable for vegans. The Nature’s Own vitamin D3 is cruelty-free and takes the nutrient from lichen extract.
Our tester found the one-a-day tablets easy to swallow and liked that they are free from GMO, gluten and yeast. There are 60 pills in each bottle, giving you a two-month supply.
People with certain conditions, for example, multiple sclerosis, may need to take significantly higher than usual doses of vitamin D all year round. This supplement is ideal for those people. It contains 3,000IU of vitamin D3 that is delivered daily with three sprays under the tongue at any time of day – a bottle contains 35 servings.
Our tester found it easy to use and store and liked that a subscription service is available, so you never run out and save £3 each month. We would recommend speaking with your GP before starting this supplement though, because of its high potency.
For those who prefer not to swallow tablets, this easy spray bottle makes for a great delivery method and the flavour isn’t unpleasant either.
The NHS recommends that all children under five years of age take a daily vitamin D supplement throughout the year. But getting your child to take capsules is another matter entirely. That is unless you can give it to them in sweet form – these gummies will undoubtedly do the trick.
One of these chewy orange-flavoured bears a day provides little ones with the recommended 10 micrograms of vitamin D, plus they’ll look forward to taking them – our young tester tells us that they are yummy.
Taking a daily supplement can generate a lot of plastic waste over the years, but Dr Vegan has a solution to help limit your impact on the planet. These plant-based vitamins come in plastic-free, compostable packaging and can be stored in your special refillable Dr Vegan pill tin to keep them fresh.
The daily supplement itself is vegan, easy to swallow, halal, and gluten, dairy and lactose-free, making them suitable for pretty much everyone.
This is a high-dose vitamin D, with 2,500IU per pill, so please check with your clinician that it is suitable for you. It is already a reasonable option, but there is an offer that means you can buy three packets and only pay for two, while a subscription service saves you 15 per cent.
Infused with 360mg of fernblock, the Heliocare capsules provide your daily dose of vitamin D while also protecting the skin against the full spectrum of daylight, including UVA, UVB, visible light and infrared-A. If you happen to see the sun or if you’re on holiday, it can be tempting to try and get as much sun exposure as possible – this obviously puts your skin at risk if it’s not properly protected.
Ideal for daily use alongside your favourite sunscreen, these supplements are suitable for all skin types, offering an additional antioxidant boost to ensure your skin stays protected and healthy while topping up your vitamin D levels safely.
Vitamin D deficiency can lead to bone problems, such as rickets in children and bone pain and muscle weakness in adults, which may increase the risks of falls and fractures in the elderly, as well as increased susceptibility to infection.
Food such as oily fish, red meat, egg yolks, mushrooms and fortified foods like breakfast cereals are high in vitamin D.
Given the insufficient sunlight, it’s best to do so from October through to March. In the UK, from April through to September most people can obtain the vitamin D they need from skin (endogenous) synthesis via short daily exposures to sunlight, i.e., about 15 minutes of midday sun exposure in shorts and a T-shirt.
A daily oral 10 micrograms (400IU) vitamin D3 supplement during autumn and winter.
Vitamin D toxicity is possible with high doses (more than 4,000IU per day) of oral supplementation.
We’ve heard in conversation sometimes that orange juice (vitamin C) might be helpful; however, the only randomised controlled trial we’re aware of showed no difference between vitamin D bioavailability when consumed with orange juice compared to capsules.
Convenience, quality and value for money make the Nutrition Geeks vitamin D3 1,000IU our best buy. They are extremely easy to take, generate less plastic waste than conventional pill bottles and carry a price tag that is accessible for most people. The Dr Vegan vitamin D3 is also great for its eco-friendly credentials, however, if you struggle to swallow tablets, the Myprotein gummies might be your best bet, especially during the winter months.
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