Page 93 - Delicious - UK (February 2020)
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your health.
Vitamin D’s role
in human health
is complex, not
completely
understood and
hotly debated
disease and type 1 diabetes have studies has stood up to scrutiny.”
produced inconsistent results. Professor Spector says there’s
Most of the health claims about little agreement about what a
the protective or curative properties healthy level of vitamin D is,
of vitamin D supplements have and he argues that the health
not been proven in robust clinical benefits of taking supplements
studies. It could be that low vitamin are unproven. “They should be
D levels don’t actually cause disease discouraged, and sunlight and
– rather, it’s possible that disease vitamin D foods prioritised
can cause low vitamin D levels. instead.” In fact, he says, some
What is clear is that too much studies suggest that mega-doses of
vitamin D isn’t healthy. “At high vitamin D increase the risk of falls Take one daily
doses, vitamin D is toxic, as it’s fat and fractures in older people.
October to
soluble and the body has no For those who choose to take
March
satisfactory mechanism for excreting supplements, Dr Laura Wyness, a
excess,” Thornton-Wood says. The registered nutritionist, says vitamin
maximum recommended daily limit D3 (cholecalciferol) is more effective
in the UK – from diet and than D2 (ergocalciferol) – check
supplements combined – is 100mcg packaging for details. She also
for adults and children aged recommends taking supplements
11 to 17; 50mcg for children aged with food. “Studies have shown
TRUE OR FALSE?
1 to 10 years; and 25mcg for infants. that taking a vitamin D supplement
(Some countries list vitamin D in with the largest meal of the day Vitamin D supports healthy bones,
international units (IU): 1mcg/μg improves absorption and results teeth and muscles T TRUE T FALSE
is equal to 40 IU of vitamin D.) in about a 50 per cent increase in
vitamin D blood levels,” she says. Around 17 per cent of British adults
DISAGREEMENT AND DISSENT are said to have low vitamin D levels
Not all doctors believe it’s THE BOTTOM LINE in winter T TRUE T FALSE
necessary to take vitamin D. Public Health England recommends
The more vitamin D you take the
“Vitamin D is one of the most everybody take a daily 10mcg better T TRUE T FALSE
commonly used supplements in the vitamin D supplement in the
UK, yet evidence for its benefit is autumn and winter. However, Large doses of vitamin D protect
sorely lacking,” says Tim Spector, not all doctors agree on the dose against cancer and other diseases
professor of genetic epidemiology or that supplements are necessary. T TRUE T FALSE
at King’s College London and Vitamin D is needed for healthy
regular delicious. contributor. bones, teeth and muscles, but It’s easy to meet your vitamin D
“Studies have suggested that vitamin many claims about the benefits needs from food alone in winter
D is beneficial for more than 150 of supplements are not supported T TRUE T FALSE
diseases, yet virtually none of these by robust clinical evidence.
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