Health and Nutrition
Experts to review vitamin D recommendations
England's chief medical officer, Dame Sally Davies, has raised concerns that children are not getting enough vitamin D.
Oily fish are a good source of vitamin D
Government guidelines recommend that children from six months to five years and pregnant and breast feeding women should take vitamin D supplements.
The Department of Health has also asked the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition to review current dietary recommendations on vitamin D for different groups. The review will include an assessment of other potential health impacts and higher intakes of vitamin D.
Low levels of vitamin D can increase the risk of poor bone health, including rickets in young children and doctors have reported an increase in the number of cases in the past ten years.
Previous generations used to be given cod liver oil as children to prevent vitamin D deficiency, but this was stopped in the 1950s because it was thought unnecessary.
Professor Dame Sally Davies said, ‘We know a significant proportion of people in the UK probably have inadequate levels of vitamin D in their blood.
‘People at risk of vitamin D deficiency, including pregnant women and children under five, are already advised to take daily supplements.’
‘Many health professionals such as midwives, GPs and nurses give advice on supplements, and it is crucial they continue to offer this advice as part of routine consultations and ensure disadvantaged families have access to free vitamin supplements through our Healthy Start scheme.
‘It is important to raise awareness of this issue, and I will be contacting health professionals on the need to prescribe and recommend vitamin D supplements to at risk groups.’
The Healthy Start scheme provides free vitamin D supplements to low-income pregnant women and families with under-fives, as well as vouchers for milk and fruit and vegetables.
Other groups considered at risk of vitamin D deficiency include the over-65s and people who are housebound who do not get enough sun exposure.
A survey by the Feeding for Life Foundation report last year found that one in four toddlers in the UK is deficient in vitamin D, but national data on the levels of vitamin D in the blood of children in this age group is not available.
The report only looked at dietary intake of vitamin D and did not look at the amount of vitamin D obtained from sun exposure.
