Why Vitamin Supplements Can Help You All Year Round

Despite the cold snap that has arrived in early March, this time of year marks the beginning of spring. While the Met Office considers the season to start with the calendar month rather than the astronomical definition based round the equinox, this is generally a time when it gets warmer and the days certainly get lighter.

Of course, a last wintry cold snap before things genuinely start to get warm can ensure people don’t venture outdoors too much just yet. But the fact is that with the sunset creeping past 6 PM and the clocks set to go forward before the end of the month, anyone spending significant time outdoors will enjoy more direct sunlight.

Sunlight is itself a provider of Vitamin D, which helps maintain strong teeth and bones. In the past, one of the great health problems associated with forcing children to work long hours was they often failed to get enough sun and suffered rickets as a result.

The NHS advice is that people should get enough Vitamin D from the sun from late March to September, the six months of the year when the days are longer than the nights, while taking a supplement the rest of the year.

However, those buying vitamins and supplements online in the UK may include many who still need Vitamin D supplements even after the equinox. The NHS stated this can include children aged between one and four and people who have darker skin that absorbs less sunlight, such as those from south Asian, African and Caribbean backgrounds.

Some people might also need to keep taking Vitamin D because their work patterns mean they miss a lot of daylight, such as people working in shifts in hospitality, the emergency services, or in manufacturing. 

While Vitamin D can also be found in foods such as oily fish, red meat, egg yolks and cereals, its association with sunlight makes it the most obviously seasonal vitamin requirement. However, there are other vitamins that people often get too little of and can be bolstered by supplements at any time.

While Vitamins A, C, E and K can usually be supplied entirely through your diet, sometimes supplements can be helpful, such as when taking Vitamin C because you are prone to colds and flu (although claims it could ward off Covid have not been proven). 

However, as with many vitamins, a deficiency in Vitamin C or any other mineral means taking supplements is an effective means of boosting your health. Smokers and people with conditions such as diabetes and cancer are among those who struggle to absorb Vitamin C and can benefit from supplements. None of this depends on the seasons.

The same will be true for those who suffer from mineral deficiencies, such as iron, zinc or calcium, with these being in no way related to how hot it is outside or how long or short the days are.

So, while your Vitamin D intake may be dependent on the time of year and how much you get out in the sun, this is not applicable with anything else. If you have a deficiency, you need to keep taking the supplements you need all through the year.