Vitamin D3 at 5000iu from Pharma Nord and Natures Aid.
5000iu is 125 micrograms, which is above the 100 microgram daily upper level UK guidance sets for adults. This is a strength to take because someone has advised it, not because it is the largest number on the shelf.
UK guidance sets 100 micrograms – 4000iu – as the most an adult should take daily from supplements over the long term. 5000iu sits above that, which is why it exists as a product rather than as a default.
Vitamin D is fat soluble and accumulates in the body rather than being passed like the B vitamins. That is the whole reason an upper level exists for it and not for vitamin C.
People with a confirmed low blood level, or who have been told by a GP to take more. Both are proper reasons. Deciding for yourself that you must be very deficient is not, and a blood test through your GP settles it definitively and at no cost.
Pharma Nord's is a 30 capsule pack and Natures Aid's 60 tablets, which are short courses rather than year-round supplies – a sensible way to sell a strength like this.
With a meal containing some fat, and check everything else you take. Vitamin D appears in multivitamins, cod liver oil, calcium products and omega blends, and stacking them on top of 5000iu is how people get into trouble.
Not one to take through pregnancy, or to give a child, without medical advice. If you are on any prescribed medication, ask a pharmacist first.
FAQ
Is 5000iu too much?
It is above the 100 microgram daily upper level UK guidance sets for adults, so it is a strength to take on advice rather than by choice.
How do I know if I need it?
A blood test through your GP. That gives a definitive answer rather than a guess based on how you feel.
Can I take it with a multivitamin?
Check what the multivitamin contains first. Vitamin D turns up in a great many products and it accumulates.
Should I take it all year?
Not without advice. The small pack sizes reflect that this is a short course rather than a year-round supplement.
