Healthy vitamin D levels are not attainable for much of the population of the United Kingdom strictly from available sun exposure, according to a new report from the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition.

“Before this, the general assumption was that adults were able to make all the vitamin D they needed from sunshine, and didn’t need to have any dietary or supplementary intake,” one expert told The Guardian. “The action of sunlight on the skin in the UK is highly variable for different populations depending on the time of year and the latitude – you’ll get more UVB in Brighton than in John o’Groats – and finally, how much skin is exposed and the colour of skin.”

The independent advisory group to the government came to the conclusion after reviewing the association between vitamin D levels and health issues like musculoskeletal health, heart disease, type 1 diabetes, cancer and multiple sclerosis, according to coverage from The Guardian. Current advise recommends vitamin D supplements for at-risk individuals, but the new recommendation would affect the entire population if adopted by the government.

A portion of the report reads:

“It is proposed that the recommended nutrient intake is applicable throughout the year, as a precautionary measure, to cover population groups in the UK identified to be at risk of minimal sunshine exposure as well as unidentified individuals in the population with minimal sunshine exposure who would be at risk in summer.

“Since it is difficult to achieve [the recommended intake] from natural food sources alone, it is recommended that consideration is given to strategies for the UK population to achieve the recommended nutrient intake.”

Click here to read coverage from The Guardian.

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