I bought them from Amazon, they are gummies that look and taste not unlike my favourite sweets, wine gums. It’s all I can do to stop eating the whole jar!
The good news is these sweet treats are actually good for me and that the Government has just decided to advise us all to start taking them in the winter months to boost our resilience to coronavirus.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock said the Government would be increasing its public health messaging around the supplement amid growing evidence that it could help fight Covid-19.
The move follows a campaign by MPs Rupa Huq and David Davis. In response to a question from Ms Huq in the Commons, Mr Hancock said he had asked scientists to look at the impact of Vitamin D on resistance to immunity.
He added: “I can also tell her that we will be increasing the public messaging around Vitamin D to make sure that people get the message that Vitamin D can help with your broad health and that there is no downside to taking it and therefore people should consider that.”
In a joint statement Ms Huq and Mr Davis said: “It is brilliant news that Matt Hancock is encouraging people to consider taking Vitamin D supplements and has accepted there are no downsides to taking it. It is also encouraging the government is now reviewing the evidence on Vitamin D and Covid-19.
“What needs to happen now is all the groups that are Vitamin D deficient and susceptible to Covid-19, including the elderly, black and ethnic minorities, the obese and those with co-morbidities such as diabetes, should be given free Vitamin D supplements as a matter of urgency.”
A study by Cordoba University – who get more than their fair share of sunshine – earlier this year showed that a high dose of a Vitamin D drug significantly reduced the need for ICU treatment of coronavirus patients, while a Lancet report said there was “nothing to lose … and potentially much to gain” from using it as a supplement.
The body creates vitamin D from direct sunlight on the skin when outdoors. But between October and early March we do not get enough vitamin D from sunlight.
Vitamin D is also found in a small number of foods, some of which I quite enjoy, including:
- oily fish – such as salmon, sardines, herring and mackerel
- red meat
- liver
- egg yolks
- fortified foods – such as some fat spreads and breakfast cereals
I gave up my last attempt at supplement use – turmeric – a few months back. It seemed to make no difference to my arthritic aches and pains which then went away of their own accord.
This time partly because they taste nice and are easy to eat, mainly because the advice is unequivocal I’m going stick with them until the sunshine returns in the Spring.