Vitamin D

Most people get their vitamin D when they expose bare skin to ultraviolet B (UVB) light from the sun. Food alone cannot provide an adequate amount of vitamin D and most people are reliant on sun exposure to reach recommended levels. Foods that contain small amounts of vitamin D include fatty fish (such as salmon, mackerel and herring), liver, eggs, margarines and some milk products.

The amount of time you need in the sun depends on several things, including where you live, the season, time of day, your skin colour and the amount of skin exposed. However, during summer, most people with fare skin can get adequate vitamin D from just 15-25 minutes of sun exposure between 10am and 2pm. Always follow safe sun guidelines because too much sun can increase your risk of skin cancer and may cause the vitamin D in your skin to break down.

You may be at risk of vitamin D deficiency if you:

• Stay mostly indoors for health, work or other reasons
• Have naturally dark skin
• Cover your body for religious or cultural reasons
• Avoid the sun for skin protection or due to medical reasons
• Are obese
• Have a health condition that affects vitamin D absorption from your diet
• Take medicines that cause vitamin D to break down
• are a baby of a vitamin D deficient mother