The UK Government’s Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition’s (SACN) draft report on Vitamin D and Health has stated that many people in the UK are not getting enough vitamin D under current guidelines.
The report says that the present recommendations assume that enough vitamin D is synthesized dermally in summer through exposure to sunlight to maintain the necessary serum concentration in the following winter months, and that this is the reason why an RNI wasn’t set for those aged four to 64. However, it says, this is “clearly not occurring for many in the UK population”.
The current advice is that no dietary intake of vitamin D is necessary for individuals living a ‘normal lifestyle’. Only certain groups of the population, who are at risk of vitamin D deficiency, are advised to take a daily supplement.
The report is open for consultation until 23 September and the SACN will publish its final recommendations in early 2016.
Until this time the government’s current recommendations will remain in place.
