{"id":783976,"date":"2026-09-27T05:58:17","date_gmt":"2026-09-27T05:58:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/783976\/"},"modified":"2026-09-27T05:58:17","modified_gmt":"2026-09-27T05:58:17","slug":"pharmacist-gives-vitamin-d-warning-over-disease-worries","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/783976\/","title":{"rendered":"Pharmacist gives Vitamin D warning over disease worries"},"content":{"rendered":"

NHS advises everyone to consider taking 10 micrograms (400 IU) of vitamin D daily during autumn and winter – but there are risks from high doses<\/p>\n

08:22, 26 Sep 2026Updated 09:21, 26 Sep 2026<\/p>\n

\"Vitamin<\/p>\n

Vitamin D is vital over the winter months – but don’t have too high a dosage(Image: Getty)<\/p>\n

A pharmacist has issued a serious warning that millions of people could be wasting their money on vitamin D supplements by taking them the wrong way. Brits have been rushing to buy vitamin D after recommendations from medical experts and health advocates like the late Michael Mosley<\/a>.<\/p>\n

From October to March, we don\u2019t make enough vitamin D from sunlight in the UK. The NHS<\/a> advises everyone to consider taking 10 micrograms (400 IU) of vitamin D daily during autumn and winter.<\/p>\n

Most of our vitamin D comes from the reaction between our skin and sunlight – a process that\u2019s severely limited during autumn and winter when sunshine is in short supply and we\u2019re more inclined to remain indoors or wrap up warm.<\/p>\n

Doctors cure cancer by hacking cells, genetic mutation linked to lung disease, dementia warning in muscles, and stomach fungus protects you from radiation – all this and more in our science newsletter<\/a><\/p>\n

Vitamin D is essential for keeping bones healthy, strengthening the immune system, aiding muscle function, encouraging good mental health, lowering inflammation, and maintaining cardiovascular health. But if you\u2019re not taking your supplements properly, you could be wasting your cash and putting your health at risk.<\/p>\n

However taking it too long or in too high a dosage can lead to problems. The Cleveland Clinic said :\u201d Vitamin D toxicity (hypervitaminosis D) happens when you have too much vitamin D in your body. It\u2019s a rare complication that most often happens from taking higher-than-prescribed amounts of prescription vitamin D or too much of a self-prescribed over-the-counter (OTC) supplement.<\/p>\n

\u201cExcess vitamin D leads to hypercalcemia (higher-than-normal levels of calcium in your blood), which is what causes symptoms. Vitamin D toxicity usually isn\u2019t life-threatening, but it can be quite harmful to your health. Severe cases can cause issues such as kidney failure, abnormal heart rhythm (arrhythmia), unsteady gait (ataxia) and confusion.\u201d<\/p>\n

A pharmacist explained: \u201cThe best way to get vitamin D is through your diet, supported by supplements like tablets, capsules, gummies or sprays that you use directly into your mouth. Vitamin D is fat soluble, which means that it is absorbed into the body along with fat – this means taking your vitamin D supplement with food that contains some healthy fats, such as nuts or yoghurt, will help your body absorb it much better.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe recommended daily amount of vitamin D for adults aged between 19 and 70 is 15 mcg which is 600 IU or International Units, a unit used to measure vitamins. It\u2019s really common to take vitamin D supplements, especially as many of us will not get enough vitamin D from sunlight or food alone. Dietary sources of vitamin D include oily fish, mushrooms and eggs, as well as some fortified foods like breakfast cereals and milk or plant-based milk alternatives.\u201d, reports the Express.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not healthy to try and get more vitamin D from the sun by going without sun protection. Also, our bodies make vitamin D in response to UVB radiation from the sun, but most glass blocks UVB rays – meaning that even if you\u2019re sitting indoors in a ray of sunlight, it won\u2019t boost your levels of the vitamin. Don\u2019t use a tanning bed to try and boost your vitamin D – it won\u2019t work as they produce much more UVA radiation than UVB, and it will increase the risk of skin cancer.<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t take too much vitamin D. Because it\u2019s a fat soluble vitamin it can build up in your body easier than other vitamins. Taking too much vitamin D long term can lead to hypercalcemia, an excess of calcium in the body, which can cause problems with your heart, kidneys and bones. 4,000 IU or 100 mcg is considered to be the upper limit of safe vitamin D supplementation.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"NHS advises everyone to consider taking 10 micrograms (400 IU) of vitamin D daily during autumn and winter…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":783977,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[59,102,2750,11340,1906,56714,104,8083,71276,56,54,55,6959],"class_list":["post-783976","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-health","tag-gb","tag-health","tag-heart-disease","tag-immune-system","tag-mental-health","tag-michael-mosley","tag-nhs","tag-prescriptions","tag-skin-cancer","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom","tag-vitamins"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/783976","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=783976"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/783976\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/783977"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=783976"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=783976"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=783976"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}