Experts reveal how much Vitamin D your body actually needs and tips for getting more

Vitamin D is among the 13 essential vitamins which the human body needs to grow and remain healthy. A fat-soluble vitamin, Vitamin D nourishes the body and metabolism in many ways - it is strongly linked to bone health as it controls blood calcium levels - the most abundant mineral in our body.

It’s called the ‘sunshine vitamin’ because it is produced, or synthesized by the body through exposure to UVB rays from sunlight which reacts with cholesterol in the skin.

Vitamin D is found in certain foods such as cod liver oil, fish rich in omega-3 fatty acid, egg yolk and beef liver but the best natural vitamin D source is from soaking up the sun’s rays.

Apart from bone health, vitamin D has other properties that promote wellbeing - it plays a part in maintaining gut health, protects against autoimmune disease and is believed to aid the body’s natural defences in preventing chronic illnesses such as diabetes and cancer.

However, deficiency can cause serious health issues such as osteoporosis, osteomalacia and muscular problems.

How much Vitamin D do we need?

The ideal range for vitamin D in healthy individuals is between 600 and 2,000 international units (IU) daily. The body is most efficient at making vitamin D at midday (12 noon) when the sun is directly above.

So how much sun do we need? Surprisingly, not that much. Just 10-15 minutes of exposure to the sun for pale-skinned people, and up to 25 minutes for dark-skinned people, in the spring or summer, with 22% skin exposed, is enough to produce 1,000 IU of vitamin D-3.

To make sure you are getting your daily dose, make sure you get out in the sunshine during the summer months or think about taking supplements in the winter when there are less hours of sunshine. Also remember that Vitamin D is contained in some foods - for example a 100g salmon filet contains around 15 micrograms of vitamin D which is more than the required daily intake for an average person.

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