Public Health England advice to public

Infants from birth to one year of age

• Infants from birth to one year of age, whether exclusively or partially breastfed, should be given a daily supplement containing 8.5 to 10µg vitamin D to make sure they get enough.
• Babies who are given infant formula do not need to take vitamin D supplements if they are consuming over 500ml of infant formula daily, as this will contain the required amount of vitamin D.

Children aged 1 to 4 years of age

• Children aged 1 to 4 years of age should be given a daily supplement containing 10µg vitamin D.

People aged 5 years and over

• Between late March and September, the majority of people aged 5 years and over will probably obtain sufficient vitamin D and might choose not to take a vitamin D supplement during these months.
• From October to March, everyone over the age of five, including pregnant and breastfeeding women, will need to rely on dietary sources of vitamin D, so should consider taking a daily supplement containing 10µg of vitamin D.

People with very little or no sunshine exposure

Some groups of people with very little or no sunshine exposure will not obtain enough vitamin D from sunlight. People in these groups should take a daily supplement containing 10µg vitamin D throughout the year. These include:

• People who are seldom outdoors, such as frail or housebound individuals, and those who are confined indoors, e.g. in institutions such as care homes.
• People who habitually wear clothes that cover most of their skin while outdoors.

Ethnic groups

• People from ethnic groups with dark skin, such as those of African, African-Caribbean and South Asian origin, might not get enough vitamin D from sunlight in summer, so they should consider taking a daily supplement containing 10µg vitamin D throughout the year.