Bring me sunshine... for breakfast

EATING breakfast cereal fortified with the ‘sunshine vitamin’ could help boost levels of the nutrient in children, a study found.

Vitamin D – essential for healthy bones, muscles and teeth – is mainly produced in the body by exposure to the sun.

But research by experts at University College Dublin found that levels were higher in children who ate breakfast cereal or milk with the vitamin added. The study states: ‘[This] could represent an important avenue for recommendations for public health campaigns.’

Robert Brown, of dietary think-tank the McCarrison Society, said: ‘For fortification to have a national effect, it has to be in staple foods. The Scottish Government should look at promoting or providing a flour replete with essential nutrients.’

The Scottish Government said: ‘Everyone should consider taking a daily vitamin D supplement, particularly in winter.’