Guidance
This guideline covers vitamin D supplement use. It aims to prevent vitamin D deficiency among specific population groups including infants and children aged under 4, pregnant and breastfeeding women, particularly teenagers and young women, people over 65, people who have low or no exposure to the sun and people with dark skin.
For recommendations on vitamin D use in the context of COVID-19, see our COVID-19 rapid guideline on vitamin D.
Recommendations
This guideline includes recommendations on how to:
- increase access to vitamin D supplements including those provided as part of the Healthy Start supplements scheme
- increase local availability of vitamin D supplements for at-risk groups
- ensure health professionals recommend vitamin D supplements
- raise awareness of the importance of vitamin D supplements among the local population
- ensure a consistent multiagency approach
- monitor and evaluate the provision and uptake of vitamin D supplements
Who is it for?
- Commissioners, managers and other professionals with public health as part of their remit
- Manufacturers and providers of vitamin D supplements
- Members of the public
Is this guideline up to date?
July 2017: We found no new evidence that affects the recommendations in this guideline. See the review decision for more information.
Guideline development process
How we develop NICE guidelines
This guideline updates and replaces recommendation 3 in NICE guideline PH11 (November 2014). In addition, in NICE guideline CG62 recommendation 1.3.2.4 has been updated so that it is in line with this guideline.
Your responsibility
The recommendations in this guideline represent the view of NICE, arrived at after careful consideration of the evidence available. When exercising their judgement, professionals and practitioners are expected to take this guideline fully into account, alongside the individual needs, preferences and values of their patients or the people using their service. It is not mandatory to apply the recommendations, and the guideline does not override the responsibility to make decisions appropriate to the circumstances of the individual, in consultation with them and their families and carers or guardian.
All problems (adverse events) related to a medicine or medical device used for treatment or in a procedure should be reported to the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency using the Yellow Card Scheme.
Local commissioners and providers of healthcare have a responsibility to enable the guideline to be applied when individual professionals and people using services wish to use it. They should do so in the context of local and national priorities for funding and developing services, and in light of their duties to have due regard to the need to eliminate unlawful discrimination, to advance equality of opportunity and to reduce health inequalities. Nothing in this guideline should be interpreted in a way that would be inconsistent with complying with those duties.
Commissioners and providers have a responsibility to promote an environmentally sustainable health and care system and should assess and reduce the environmental impact of implementing NICE recommendations wherever possible.