Of all vitamins, vitamin D is perhaps the one we have seen more often in the news headlines lately.

In the UK 16-24%¹ of adults and elderly (65 years and over) are vitamin D deficient (their level of 25OHD is below 25nmol/L²)  and this percentage goes up to 29.3% of the elderly during winter¹. Here at Nutrition Rocks we believe that understanding the evidence behind the words is essential to make informed choices for our health. So, we have prepared this article to burst the myths about vitamin D and, hopefully, clear up your doubts.



References:

1. https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/national-diet-and-nutrition-survey-results-from-years-1-to-4-combined-of-the-rolling-programme-for-2008-and-2009-to-2011-and-2012

2. https://bit.ly/2BSXY1z 

3. https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/10/11/1656/htm

4. https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/537616/SACN_Vitamin_D_and_Health_report.pdf

5. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29397388/

6. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29661756/

7. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26865648/

8. https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/vitamins-and-minerals/vitamin-d/

9. https://www.nhs.uk/news/lifestyle-and-exercise/news-analysis-health-claims-about-vitamin-d-examined/ 

10. https://www.gov.uk/government/news/phe-publishes-new-advice-on-vitamin-d

11. https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/healthy-body/how-to-get-vitamin-d-from-sunlight/

12. https://www.bmj.com/content/356/bmj.i6583

13. https://app.box.com/s/g0ldpth1upfd7fw763ew3aqa3c0pyvky

14. https://www.nice.org.uk/advice/es28/chapter/Advisory-statement-on-likely-place-in-therapy

15. https://nutrition.bmj.com/content/bmjnph/early/2020/05/20/bmjnph-2020-000096.full.pdf

16. https://academic.oup.com/nutritionreviews/article/76/9/678/5055156

17. https://cks.nice.org.uk/vitamin-d-deficiency-in-adults-treatment-and-prevention#!backgroundSub:1

18. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0271531715002936?casa_token=Cq-dMnlDWsoAAAAA:31XADqZXtqDKxhCeU1bK4RH8p40p8qHQAXB7_SEqT8DehY09OB7INk6Ldi7EqUcwZ48nJewPGA 

Researched & written by: Valeria Folco (BSc Hons Nutrition)