The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) today published a report on vitamin D recommendations for people aged between 5 and 65 years.
This will be of particular relevance to Donegal residents.
Sun levels are lower here than the rest of the country due to its northern location, which is causing low levels of the vitamin which is crucial to bone health and prevention of osteoporosis.
Back in 2019, it was discovered by a local doctor that people living in the county have significantly lower levels of Vitamin D due to a lack of sunshine.
Donegal GP Martin Coyne, who has a special interest in osteoporosis, told the Irish Times that his results from tests at Letterkenny University Hospital Lab were “frightening”.
He found that 75% of 10,000 vitamin D test results in Letterkenny had insufficient vitamin D levels and 12% were extremely low.
The findings were so low that they had to be rechecked to ensure the machines were working properly.
The latest FSAI publication marks the first time that vitamin D nutrition has been examined in terms of how people aged 5–65 years can achieve optimal intakes for long term health.
In addition to food sources, the vitamin supplements are recommended for everyone, in particular teenagers, pregnant women and people of dark-skinned ethnicity who are at highest risk of vitamin D deficiency.
The report will now inform the Department of Health’s national guidelines on the issue.
The publication describes foods that help to meet vitamin D requirements, including foods naturally rich in vitamin D (such as oily fish, meats, and eggs), and vitamin D-fortified foods. How inadvertent sunlight exposure during summer contributes to vitamin D is explained. It also describes why children and adults, who get this sunlight exposure during summer, should consider taking a daily supplement of vitamin D as follows:
- For healthy children (5-11 years) a daily vitamin D supplement containing 10 µg (400 IU) should be taken:
- during extended winter (end of October to March) for those of fair-skinned ethnicity
- throughout the full year for those of darker-skinned ethnicity
- For healthy teenagers and adults (12-65 years) a daily vitamin D supplement containing 15 µg (600 IU) should be taken:
- during extended winter (end of October to March) for those of fair-skinned ethnicity
- throughout the full year for those of darker-skinned ethnicity
- throughout the full year for those who are pregnant, regardless of ethnicity.
Professor Kevin Cashman, Chair of the Public Health Nutrition Subcommittee that prepared the report, highlighted the importance of vitamin D and not being deficient in it in certain life stages.
“Vitamin D is involved in calcium metabolism and sufficient intake is essential for good bone health throughout the lives of children and adults,” he stressed.
“It also contributes to the normal function of the immune system and maintenance of normal muscle function. In certain life stages, it is important to ensure that we are not deficient in vitamin D. For example, during the teenage years when vitamin D facilitates the important gains in bone mineral mass, and during pregnancy where vitamin D is needed for the skeletal development of the foetus and to protect the mother’s bone health. At all ages, people of darker-skinned ethnicity have higher vitamin D requirements because the increased content of melanin in darker skin reduces the body’s ability to make vitamin D from UVB rays from sunlight.”
The report Vitamin D: Scientific Recommendations for 5 to 65 Year Olds Living in Ireland is available to view and download for free here: link.
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