Is a multi vitamin enough?

[CathyandHeathcliff]

I take a multi vitamin everyday.
I think I may have already had the coronavirus, however I’m still being cautious.
I take a multi vitamin and a vitamin C as an extra. Should I be taking an additional vitamin D? I’m overweight too and keep reading about problems in absorbing vitamin D in overweight people.

My multivitamin has 100% RDA of vitamin D but it's a cheap one from Sainsburys. If you can afford it I would add some "proper" vitamin D eg the Better You sprays.

I think the multivitamin is enough, but probably better to get your vitamins from real food. If you are overweight and it's difficult to absorb vitamin D (if this is true) then it might be better to introduce a new way of eating so you can lose some weight if possible.

Recommended dose is 10ug of vitamin D3. How much is in your multivitamins? Maximum dose is 100ug

@dementedpixie it’s 5ug I just checked

A multivit will only give you enough vit D to prevent you dying of rickets, doesn’t give you nearly enough for the health benefits to the immune system to kick in. Look for one with 2000 - 5000 iu.

You could also download the DMinder app, which will tell you how much vitamin D you are making from the sun... you input some parameters such as clothing, degree of cloud cover, skin colour etc and it sets a timer for you to get the desired amount based on your location & time of day. But you will need a supplement between about sept to april.

Just buy a multi vitamin that gives 100% of the recommended dose of vit D, many of the cheap own brand supermarket multi vitamins will do this so you won’t have to spend a fortune.

Try and eat good food for vitamins to keep yourself healthy in theses times too

2000 - 5000 iu = 50 - 125 mcg

I’m very pale and naturally blonde, covered in freckles, I only have to step into the sun for a few mins and I burn. Then my freckles start to come out very obviously and get darker.

Does that mean my vitamin d levels are lower or higher? It’s confusing!

Pale skinned people make vitamin D much more quickly than darker skinned people, but it’s important not to burn as it’s counterproductive for vit D production. Just a few mins at lunchtime is enough to make a decent dose. If possible try to wear as few clothes as possible, so you get a good spread across the body. ie you’ll burn your hands & face trying to make 1000 units otherwise covered up, but you’ll only need a gentle ~10 min sunning to make the same amount in a bikini.

Take a supplement for back up though, and it’s essential in the winter months. Very difficult to get enough vitamin D from diet, unless you eat several kilos of wild caught oily fish a week such as salmon, mackerel, herring etc. There’s only tiny amounts in things like eggs, and the UK stopped fortifying milk in the 1950s.

NHS says maximum recommended is 100ug which is 4000IU

I take 25ug which is 1000IU
Kids take 10ug which is 400IU

I checked DH's multivitamin and it says 5ug is 100% RDA but NHS recommends 10ug

If your vitamin D3 levels are low the RDA will do nothing to get it up quickly enough. You ideally needs levels checked. When mine was non-existent I was prescribed 250,000iu over 5 days and then a daily maintenance dose.

So a multivitamin containing 5ug and a spray of 75ug would be sufficient to get levels up?

Bit of a random Q but given that we have had such nice weather for the past month, and lots of people would have been outside in gardens (if lucky enough to have them) - does that mean people’s levels will have been topped up?

vit d rda in uk is a lit lower than in other countries.
I take 20ug daily year round, the dc 10ug.

It's also worth mentioning that not all vitamin tablets are of the same quality.

I would t buy from Boots or H&B etc. far better to buy from a company that specialices such as Lambert's, Ctyoplan etc. the difference in quality can be immense.

Get a test before you take more than the recommended amount of vitamin D -www.vitamindtest.org.uk/
(NHS lab in the Midlands)
Only if you are low take a loading dose for 3 months then retest and reduce your dose.

Too much vitamin D is toxic and can make you seriously ill as it is a fat soluble vitamin so you don't excrete it if you take too much.

Can anyone recommend a good multi vitamin? Preferably not buge and bulky as I struggle with them!

@Darcydashwood people in the UK get Vitamin D from sunlight April to September as that's when the sun is high enough. If you are pale skinned, been in the garden a lot and not worn sun screen then as the level of pollution has decreased you should have topped your levels up.

The sun is a better source than a vitamin tablet so I’d try to go out for a while each day with skin uncovered, not long enough to burn though.

OP if you are fair and freckly you shouldn't be vitamin D deficient during the summer months. About half an hour exposure per day without sun cream should be fine. I'm originally red haired and started taking a supplement after a friend was diagnosed as deficient. When I had a blood test my levels were too high. I now only take a supplement in Winter.

I’m fair with lots of freckles... I was very deficient last September which made no sense as we had been to Egypt in April and I love being outside in the sun. I’d never have guessed I was deficient. Best to have a test

The vitamin d in most multivits is very low. The RDAis very low. If you are deficient you might need 5,000 IU a day. This isn’t in multivitamins.

It’s best to test though. Don’t take a high dose forever. Natural sun is best too.

I take 5,000 IU daily october to April. I get a lot of sun in the summer.

NHS says maximum recommended is 100ug which is 4000IU

I take 25ug which is 1000IU

This is roughly the same as what I take in vit D

I take one multi vitamin a day, which includes 12ug vit D, and then take extra vit D at 12.5ug. Which brings total daily vit D to about 24ug

I did notice a higher vit D ug for sale but stuck with at about 24

I used to take the H&B 25ug vitamin d3. But 6 months ago I found out I had high blood pressure and stopped all my vitamins as I was worried they might interact with my BP tablets- ramipril and amlodipine. I started taking the last week after the pharmacy assistant said it would be fine (over the phone, and she put me o hold while she asked the pharmacist).

Given that I am a home bird who rarely goes out I (I burn and am allergic to some sun screens. Dont know to which ingredient though so I don't use any) and wear a big hat when I do go out, I would like to take a higher dose.

Just not sure if I can do that safely while on my BP meds.

Anyone else on a higher vit d dose and on BP meds?