Vitamin D: Ethnic Groups

(asked on 21st April 2026) - View Source

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 30 March 2026 to Question 116006 on Vitamin D: Dietary Supplements, what interim measures he is taking to tackle Vitamin D deficiency rates in black and Asian populations prior to the analysis of the National Diet and Nutrition Survey.


Answered by
Sharon Hodgson Portrait
Sharon Hodgson
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
This question was answered on 28th April 2026

The Government is not currently planning to introduce any targeted vitamin D measures. Any further risk management approaches will be considered once the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition has completed reviewing the evidence on vitamin D requirements for people with higher melanin concentrations and made recommendations.

Government recommendations on vitamin D are publicised via the NHS.UK website and the Department's social marketing campaigns Better Health, Healthier Families, and Best Start in Life. These channels help ensure that at-risk groups, for example people who have an African, African-Caribbean, or South Asian background, as well as the general population, are aware of the importance of vitamin D supplementation.

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