Should vitamin D supplements carry warning labels?

I used to prescribe vitamin D by the bucketload, but most of us don’t need to take it, and it may be causing harm.

In light of the dark and somewhat grim weather we’ve been having in the UK, I suspect that many people will be especially keen to pick up a vitamin D supplement from their local chemists. 

But is this really necessary?

The NHS advises that “during the autumn and winter, you need to get vitamin D from your diet because the sun is not strong enough for the body to make vitamin D.” As food contains relatively low levels of vitamin D, their advice elaborates that “everyone (including pregnant and breastfeeding women) should consider taking a daily supplement containing 10 micrograms of vitamin D during the autumn and winter.”

That might seem like pretty sensible advice. Supplement manufacturers certainly welcomed the government’s guidelines in 2016 that one in five of us has vitamin D levels that are too low, which must be remedied by taking a supplement of the so-called sunshine vitamin.

Photo by Michele Blackwell 

Let’s be clear. We all need vitamin D. It’s essential to the absorption of calcium, which – in turn – is crucial for our bone health. Vitamin D deficiency causes rickets in children, something reminiscent of Victorian times.