Just a quick heads-up about a fabulous, free initiative from ASDA Pharmacies from April 1st (no, it's not an April Fool's Day joke !) allowing you to get free vitamin D supplements to help keep your children's bones nice and healthy.
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All children from six months to five years should take supplements containing Vitamin D to maintain adequate levels of the vitamin in their blood and to prevent Vitamin D deficiency during this critical period of development, it was reported last month by the Chief Medical Officer.
As part of a new initiative, Asda Pharmacy will be giving away free Vitamin D chewable tablets to all children from the age of three from the 1st of April, to help them get the Vitamin D that they need.
The one month (30 tablets) pack of the ‘sunshine vitamin’ will be available across every Asda Pharmacy nationwide – 218 in total. Specially formulated for children over the age of three, the chewable tablets will be available in a great-tasting raspberry flavour.
Recent research shows that rickets, a childhood disease that results in softening bones and can potentially lead to fractures or deformity, is on the increase and it has been estimated to affect 1 in 1,000 children. Furthermore, national surveys by the Government have shown that up to a quarter of people in the UK have low levels of Vitamin D in their blood. Vitamin D supplementation can help to prevent rickets, so it’s very important that children and at risk groups* get their recommended levels.
Faisal Tuddy, Asda pharmacist, commented: “To support the Government’s drive around raising awareness of Vitamin D in children Asda Pharmacy will be giving away free supplements from the beginning of April.
“Children should take Vitamin D supplements to help them meet the recommended intake of Vitamin D, and our raspberry flavour chewable tablets will provide a great tasting source of the vitamin to ensure that your little ones get enough of this important vitamin needed for normal growth and development of bones. We hope that this new initiative will keep our customers and their families healthy by making this indispensable supplement available to all.”
For any questions or queries please contact you local Asda Pharmacist and if you’re not sure where that is you can find details at the store locator at www.asda.co.uk.
The Chief Medical Officer identifies the below groups to be at risk* of low Vitamin D levels:
- All pregnant and breastfeeding women
- Infants and children under 5 years of age
- Older people aged 65 years and over
- People who have low or no exposure to the sun
- People who have darker skin
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Thanks for the heads up! I have made a note in my diary! Wouldn't care but I have just been to Asda today - but I will go again next week.
ReplyDeleteI didn't realise that children need Vitamin D - thing is I have four children - three of whom are over the age of 5 and I must admit they have never suffered from not taking supplements. I think the Health professionals just say this to get you to buy them (and they are often not cheap!). My children all eat a health diet and I know they get their 5 a day! I will get the free supplements though because they are free but I don't think I will continue to buy them afterwards!
I think it's one of those things that is not so important if you eat a healthy, balanced diet but - unfortunately - many kids and even whole families just don't eat healthily any more. In France, all kids have a vitamin D supplement for the first few years of their lives as routine. As you say, if it's free, definitely go for it !! A lot of Growing Up Milk for toddlers has extra vitamin D added too.
Deletethis is very interesting? Do you know if it's nationwide?
ReplyDeleteWe have recently started taking fish oil tablets so may add this too. Thank you
Yes, it says so above : "The one month (30 tablets) pack of the ‘sunshine vitamin’ will be available across every Asda Pharmacy nationwide – 218 in total. " :)
DeleteI must admit I did think it was an April fool hoax but I'll be popping along to pick some up for Piper. My only question (and it's hypothetical really, I don't expect you to answer it) is why people with darker skin are more at risk.
ReplyDeleteI'd have guessed exactly the opposite, thinking that fair skinned people wouldn't absorb the sun's rays as easily and therefore would be more at risk.
Anyway I just answered my own question by googling it and it's interesting to find out that darker skins need more sunlight to convert the cholesterol in the skin to vitamin D than lighter skins do....Ah well, it just shows why I'm not a scientist, I'd be guessing all the wrong things :-) (Not that I'm suggesting science is guesswork you understand...but obviously every good bit of science must start out with an educated guess...mustn't it?)
Anyway, thanks for prompting me to increase my knowledge :-)
I always love reading your blog comments because you teach me little nuggets of information that I never even knew I didn't know !!
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