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Vitamin D

Answer

The Department has not had any formal discussions with hospital trusts regarding the dose of vitamin D pregnant women should receive.

The UK Chief Medical Officers (CMOs) wrote to health professionals on 2 February 2012 to raise awareness of the importance of vitamin D and to reiterate the current advice from UK Health Departments that those groups of people who are at risk of vitamin D deficiency, including pregnant women and young children, should take a daily vitamin D supplement to prevent vitamin D deficiency.

The CMOs' letter specifically stated that all pregnant and breastfeeding women should take a daily supplement containing 10 micrograms (400 IU) of vitamin D. The NHS London Medicines Information Service has compiled a list of vitamin D supplements that will provide the amounts of vitamin D recommended by the Department for different age groups. This list is available on the National Electronic Library for Medicines website and was also sent to pharmacy organisations in March 2012.

As part of the Government's Healthy Start scheme, vouchers that can be exchanged for free vitamin supplements containing the recommended amounts of vitamin D are provided to pregnant women and families with children under four years of age in very low income and disadvantaged families. All pregnant women under 18 years old also qualify for the scheme, even if they do not receive any of the benefits or tax credits listed in the eligibility criteria.

UK Health Departments advise that most people, including young girls over the age of five years, should be able to get all the vitamin D they need via exposure to summer sunlight and eating a healthy balanced diet.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

128504; 553 c408W

Session

2012-13

Subjects

Pregnancy Vitamins

Link

View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk