You could be taking vitamin D wrong - it may be seriously affecting your body

As we're well and truly in the depths of winter, many of us will be taking Vitamin D tablets to make up for the lack of sunlight.

But did you know that the popular supplements could actually be doing harm if you're not taking them correctly?

It's official government advice that everyone should consider taking a daily vitamin D supplement during the autumn and winter to aid their health, specifically between October and early March.

This is because the body creates vitamin D from direct sunlight on the skin when outdoors and at this time of year, we simply aren't getting enough.

As for the dose, children from the age of one year and adults need 10 micrograms (mcg) of vitamin D a day, while babies up to the age of 1 year need 8.5 to 10 micrograms a day.

It's important not to take too much as doing so over a long period of time can cause too much calcium to build up in the body, also known as hypercalcaemia, which can weaken the bones and damage the kidneys and heart.

Scientists have warned that you could be taking the wrong type of vitamin D (Getty Stock Image)

One 2019 study found that, compared with people who took moderate amounts of vitamin D, adults who took large amounts daily both didn't see additional gains in bone density, but also in some cases ended up worse off.

Dr. JoAnn E. Manson, the Michael and Lee Bell Professor of Women's Health at Harvard Medical School, explained: "Compared to just a modest dose of 400 IU a day, the study found no improvement in bone density at the higher doses and even a suggestion that there might be some harm by reducing bone density.

"This has been found in other randomised trials of very high-dose vitamin D."

On top of this, experts have warned that the biggest mistake people are making is actually choosing the wrong form of vitamin D - these are known as Vitamin D2 and D3.

As explained by Lloyds Pharmacy, vitamin D2 is known as ergocalciferol and is found in plants and fungi, eg. mushrooms, while Vitamin D3 is known as cholecalciferol and is found in animals and animal products, including oily fish like salmon and mackerel.

Vitamin D3 is also the type of vitamin D that our bodies generate through sun exposure so its thought to be more effective in supplement form.

Scientists have discovered that that vitamin D2 supplements can actually lower levels of vitamin D3, which is of course, the form the body uses most effectively.

Vitamin D3 helps your body fight off infections (Getty Stock Image)

A study, which was published in Nutrition Reviews, analysed data from randomised controlled trials and found that vitamin D2 supplementation resulted in a reduction in vitamin D3 levels, compared to those not taking a vitamin D2 supplement.

In many of the trials, the vitamin D3 levels went lower than in the control group.

As per Science Daily, Emily Brown, PhD Research Fellow and Lead Researcher of the study from the University of Surrey's Nutrition, Exercise, Chronobiology & Sleep Discipline, said: "Vitamin D supplements are important, especially between October and March, when our bodies cannot make vitamin D from sunlight in the UK.

"However, we discovered that vitamin D2 supplements can actually decrease levels of vitamin D3 in the body, which is a previously unknown effect of taking these supplements.

"This study suggests that subject to personal considerations, vitamin D3 supplements may be more beneficial for most individuals over vitamin D2."

Additionally, unlike D2, vitamin D3 enhances the immune system’s first line of defence against infections, so you really don't want to be low on it.

So, it's important to make sure your supplements contain vitamin D3 rather than D2 - unless you're vegan.