Frequently asked questions
General
SunVit-D3 products consist of Vitamin D3 and other food supplements in a variety of forms including tablets, capsules and liquid doses.
All our products are suitable for vegetarians (approved by The Vegetarian Society), free from Gluten, Dairy, Yeast, Soy, and Halal certified (approved by the Halal Monitoring Committee).
The vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol) used in SunVit-D3 is derived from lanolin which is found in sheep’s wool. Many vegetarians consider this to be an acceptable source of vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol).
SunVit-D3 Vegan range uses a plant based cholecalciferol (vitamin D3) ingredient which is Vegan approved by The Vegetarian Society.
SunVit-D3 contains different strengths of vitamin D3 and the ‘IU’ stands for International Units. International Units are used to measure the biological activity of vitamins and are based on the same measure as micrograms but are not equivalent.
SunVit-D3 contains different strengths of vitamin D3 and the ‘µg’ (or ‘mcg’) stands for micrograms. Micrograms are used to measure the biological activity of vitamins and are based on the same measure as International Units (IU) but are not equivalent. 1 IU is the biological equivalent of 0.025 µg cholecalciferol.
We have launched the high strengths of SunVit-D3 in response to requests from Consultants, GPs and Healthcare professionals in the UK for a high-quality vitamin D3 product manufactured under GMP in the UK. All our production batches are tested and come with a Certification of Analysis.
Here at SunVit-D3 we aim to bring you the best products manufactured within the best UK facilities this means that when you take one of our products you can do so safe in the knowledge that the product has gone through a UK facility using the best ingredients.
Vitamin D
The Department of Health recommends:
All pregnant and breastfeeding women should take a daily supplement containing 10 µg of vitamin D. This is to ensure the mother’s requirement for vitamin D are met and to build adequate fetal stores for early infancy.
All babies and young children aged 6 months to 5 years should take a daily supplement containing vitamin D in the form of vitamin drops, to help them to meet the requirement set for this age group (7-8.5 µg of vitamin D per day). However, those babies who are fed infant formula milk will not need vitamin drops until they are receiving less than 500ml (about a pint) of infant formula a day, as these products are fortified with vitamin D. Breastfed infants may need to receive drops containing vitamin D from one month of age if their mother has not taken vitamin D supplements throughout pregnancy.
People aged 65 years and over and people who are not exposed to much sun should take a daily supplement containing 10 µg of vitamin D.
SunVit-D3 may be given to children under 11 years providing you seek advice from your doctor or pharmacist. Pregnant or nursing women should consult their doctor before use.
The current advice is that most people should be able to get all the vitamin D they need by getting enough sun and eating a healthy balanced diet. However, the Department of Health recommends that supplementation may be helpful for the following groups of people:
All pregnant and breastfeeding women – vitamin D stores get used up during pregnancy, so women who have several pregnancies close together are at higher risk.
Infants and young children aged under five years old – babies of mothers who are deficient, particularly breastfed babies from 1 to 6 months.
All people aged 65 or over – housebound people in nursing and residential homes are particularly at risk.
People who have low or no exposure to the sun – overuse of sunscreen, particularly high factor SPFs. People who cover their skin for cultural reasons. Sportspeople who spend all day training indoors.
People who have darker skin – people of South Asian, African and Afro-Caribbean origin as their bodies are not able to make as much natural vitamin D.
The recommended daily maintenance dosage is 400IU daily (or 10µg) as outlined in the NICE (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence) guidance. The guidance was developed to ensure that the UK population has a satisfactory level of Vitamin D throughout the year, in order to protect musculoskeletal bone health. The guidelines also recognise that Halal supplements must be made readily available to at-risk patients.
The SACN (Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition)has recently issued consumption guidelines on Vitamin D within their health report published on 21 July 2016 to protect bone and muscle health.
As Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin and won’t dissolve in water, the best time to take Vitamin D is with a meal. It is absorbed better in your bloodstream when paired with high-fat foods.
One study has shown that taking vitamin D with the largest meal of the day increased vitamin D blood levels by about 50% after just 2–3 months.
Calcium
Adults (19-64 years) need 700mg of calcium a day. Taking high doses of calcium (more than 1,500mg a day) could lead to stomach pain and diarrhoea.
You should be able to get all the calcium you need from your daily diet.But if you’re vegan, going through the menopause, or have been diagnosed with osteoporosis, you may want to consider a supplement.
You should be able to get all the calcium you need by eating a varied and balanced diet. If you take calcium supplements, don’t take too much as this could be harmful. Taking 1,500mg or less a day is unlikely to cause any harm.
As advised by Public Health England, pregnant women do not need calcium supplements as they can get all the calcium they need from their diet. However, all adults – including pregnant and breastfeeding women – need 10mcg of vitamin D a day, so should consider taking a supplement.
Vitamin B12
Vitamin B12 (Cyanocobalamin) is an important, water-soluble vitamin, and one of the
eight essential B vitamins. It is mostly found in animal foods, including
cheese, beef and salmon, and is added to certain fortified vegan foods.
Adults - (aged 19 to 64) need about 1.5 micrograms a day of vitamin B12. See Public
Health England recommendations at Vitamins
and minerals - B vitamins and folic acid - NHS (www.nhs.uk)
Vitamin B12 is important due to the wide range of functions it supports in the body,
including supporting normal immune function, red blood cell formation and the
reduction of tiredness and fatigue.
In general, there is no tolerable upper intake level (UL) set for vitamin B12.
The UL is the maximum daily dose of a nutrient that is not likely to cause adverse side effects. Vitamin B12 is generally considered safe in high doses as it is a water-soluble vitamin, and any excess is excreted in your urine.
High doses for the purpose of treating vitamin B12 deficiency are considered safe.
Safety
Unfortunately, our higher strength tablets are Film-coated and not recommended for crushing. If you are experiencing difficulty in swallowing the tablets then we would advise you to purchase our liquid maintenance products in the form of the Oral Solution 2,000 IU, 3,000 IU or the Oral Drops 2,000 IU.
Vitamin D is the most likely of all vitamins to cause toxicity. Whilst toxicity is unlikely to arise after an acute overdose, excessive chronic vitamin D intake may lead to hypercalcaemia and hypercalciuria and their associated effects.
Excessive sun exposure does not result in vitamin D toxicity due to auto-regulation mechanisms that limit the amount produced in the skin. Intakes of vitamin D in food that are high enough to cause toxicity are very unlikely. Toxicity is much more likely to occur from high intakes of dietary supplements containing vitamin D. Vitamin D promotes the absorption of calcium and the resorption of bone resulting in the deposition of calcium in soft tissues, diffuse demineralization of bones and irreversible renal and cardiovascular toxicity. Moderate levels of vitamin D intake may enhance renal stone formation in predisposed individuals.
You can continue to eat vitamin D3 rich foods such as oily fish and take other vitamin and mineral supplements in conjunction with SunVit-D3.
Although SunVit-D3 does NOT contain peanut oil or any nut products, it is manufactured on a site that also manufactures products containing nuts.
No, SunVit-D3 has never tested any of its products on animals and never will.
Ordering SunVit-D3
If you are having trouble placing an order please call +44 (0) 1992 660522 or contact us and we will help you resolve this issue.
FREE UK delivery on orders over £25
- For all other supplements, we charge £2.99
- For first class & £1.99 for second class.
We do not deliver internationally
We use Royal Mail and DPD for our UK deliveries. Orders are usually delivered within 3 working days through Royal Mail and/or DPD 48 hour service.
We take great care to ensure your items reach you in good condition. However, if you are unfortunate enough to receive a damaged item, please call +44 (0) 1992 660522 or contact us here and we will help you resolve this issue.