Recommended daily intake of vitamin D

• Children from age 1 year and adults need 10 mcg (400IU) of vitamin D a day; this includes pregnant and breastfeeding women, and people at risk of vitamin D deficiency
  • babies up to age of 1 year need 8.5 to 10 mcg of vitamin D a day (1)
• Vitamin D supplements are advised for specific population groups (2):
  • all pregnant and breastfeeding women, particularly teenagers and young women
  • infants and children under 4 years (breast fed, non-breast fed and mixed fed)
    • 6 months – 5 years (unless drinking 500 mL or more of infant formula) – 280 IU/day
    • babies 1 month – 6 months if mother is vitamin D insufficient/ deficient – 340 IU/day
  • people over 65
  • people who have low or no exposure to the sun; for example, those who cover their skin for cultural reasons, who are housebound or confined indoors for long periods
  • people who have dark skin, for example, people of African, African-Carribean and South Asian origin
• These recommendations are thought by many authorities to be too low. In the absence of adequate skin synthesis these amounts will not maintain serum levels of vitamin D in the replete (or normal) range.
  
  
• To convert doses in international units to micrograms, divide by 40

References

• (1) NHS (2020). Vitamin D. Available at https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/vitamins-and-minerals/vitamin-d/ (accessed 16 May 2022)
• (2) NICE (November 2014). Vitamin D: supplement use in specific population groups. Available at https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ph56 (accessed 15 May 2022)
• (3) Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry (2011). Vitamin D Guidance. Available at http://www.bartsendocrinology.co.uk/resources/CEG+Vitamin+D+guidance.pdf (accessed 15 May 2022)