Vit D or D3 supplements

Esspee

According to the Vitamin D Council spending even a short time in the sun can provide the body with all the vitamin D it needs for the day.
A Cancer Research U.K. funded survey concluded that 9 minutes of lunchtime sunlight each day would be enough for Caucasians to remain above the deficient level of vitamin D throughout the year. Even people with darker brown skins may need only 25 mins exposure a day.

www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/causes-of-cancer/sun-uv-and-cancer/sun-and-vitamin-d

Who may not be getting enough vitamin D?
Since the start of the pandemic, more people are spending more time indoors. This increases the risk of vitamin D deficiency.

People who are at higher risk of vitamin D deficiency include:

People with naturally brown or dark brown skin
People who spend very little time in the sun. For example, those who are housebound, working from home or who stay indoors
People who usually wear clothes that cover up most of their skin when outdoors
People over the age of 65
Pregnant and breastfeeding women
Babies and children aged under 4

Should I take a vitamin D supplement?
In the UK, the NHS (link is external) recommends people at risk of vitamin D deficiency take a 10 microgram (400 I.U.) supplement throughout the year. The NHS also has recommendations for children and babies.

The government recommends that everyone takes a vitamin D supplement between October and the end of March, when the sun’s rays are weaker.

I did not say everyone needs sun exposure, clearly it is imperative you are protected from UV Mogsmaw so a diet high in vitamin D rich food plus supplementation will be needed.
I was simply countering karmalady’s nonsensical statement with the factual statement that she was talking nonsense.
Unfortunately forums like this can have people spouting nonsense so it is important, especially when dealing with medical subjects that errors are corrected.
Incidentally I have read that if you place mushrooms outside in the sun (not behind glass) then they absorb vitamin D so if this is true it is a good way of boosting your intake naturally.

Esspee The NHS and numerous other respected sites recommend taking Vitamin D, especially in winter. It is the only supplement which is almost universally recommended. Unfortunately, you are the one spouting nonsense.

There are ways of giving your advice espee and yours wasn’t the best way

how many years have you studied esspee? no thought not, unlike me then

It is down to the individual either to do research or consult their health professional

Esspee

I did not say everyone needs sun exposure, clearly it is imperative you are protected from UV Mogsmaw so a diet high in vitamin D rich food plus supplementation will be needed.
I was simply countering karmalady’s nonsensical statement with the factual statement that she was talking nonsense.
Unfortunately forums like this can have people spouting nonsense so it is important, especially when dealing with medical subjects that errors are corrected.
Incidentally I have read that if you place mushrooms outside in the sun (not behind glass) then they absorb vitamin D so if this is true it is a good way of boosting your intake naturally.

The NHS, PUBLIC Health England and the World Health organisation must all be spouting nonsense then ?
Are you a health care professional? Nah thought not ?

GP prescribed Vitamin D but will not give me a prescription for it, I have to buy them over the counter. Docor is Spanish and he says that people living in the northern hemisphere need the extra boost and to go outdoors without SPF 50 for 20 minutes a day.

harrigran it appears to be a postcode lottery because I am prescribed D3 and have been since 2009. Some GPs do, and some do not.

It depends on your CCG's rules (now ICS).

Mine gives prescriptions for loading doses when a severe deficiency has been diagnosed, but patients have to buy their own maintenance doses. I think that's the norm.

I was diagnosed year ago with stage IV Melanoma. That's a very nasty, read can be fatal, form of skin cancer. I've never been a sun worshipper nor used a sunbed in my life. My life is almost certainly going to be cut short.

It is not known why some of us get this disease and some do not. One of the factors however, is age.

I suggest that until we do know for sure, it would be sensible to stay out of the Summer sun especially between 11am and 4pm and take a Vitamin D supplement.

Hospital specialists recommend spf50 all year round, plus a vit D supplement.

Believe me, you really do not want to risk Malignant Melanoma.

NICE GUIDELINES state
"In the UK, 80-90% of vitamin D is derived from skin exposure to ultraviolet B (UVB) radiation from sunlight, with the remaining 10-20% being derived from dietary sources"
It goes on to say that exposure to the sun between the months of late March and September allows vitamin D supplies to be built up and in the winter months the body obtains the necessary amount from dietary stores -i.e. the vitamins stored in your body, and dietary sources.
Supplementation is only necessary when an individual is deficient in vitamin D.

For karmalady to state that, and I quote "the sun, even in high summer and laying out stark naked, does not provide enough vitamin D" is incorrect, misleading and could even be dangerous if people wo are not medically deficient acting on that misinformation then go on to take unneeded supplements.
Vitamin D deficiency is abnormal and should be diagnosed by medical practitioners before taking medication which can be dangerous if not required.