• Dosage Contains sodium sulphite
• Vitamin D3 may cause hypercalcaemia (high calcium levels) if taken with thiazide diuretics (fluid tablets). Consult your healthcare professional before use if taking a diuretic.
   

Adequate levels of vitamin D throughout life are important for building and maintaining healthy bone mass, and hence in maintaining bone density and strength.

Vitamin D enhances the absorption and utilisation of calcium from the small intestine and its re-absorption from the kidneys so that it can be absorbed and utilised in the skeleton. It also decreases levels of parathyroid hormone (PTH), which has the effect of limiting the amount of calcium released from the bones.

In older people, vitamin D also supports muscle strength, which in turn supports balance and stability, reducing the likelihood of falling over.

Vitamin D3 is often called the ‘sunshine vitamin’, because it is manufactured in the skin through the action of sunlight. Small amounts are also obtained from cod liver oil and other food sources, but vitamin D supplements represent an increasingly important source of vitamin D as we get older, because the skin’s capacity to produce vitamin D3 declines with age.

A significant number of New Zealanders are at risk of vitamin D deficiency, especially if they have limited exposure to the sun. Identified groups of people at risk include elderly people (particularly those in residential care); Maori, Pacific Islanders and others with dark skin; and veiled women.

Blackmores uses vitamin D3, which is longer lasting and more effective at raising vitamin D levels in the blood than vitamin D2.