Vitamins: Small Nutrients, Big Effects
What vitamins do for growing children—and when UK guidance adds something to the food-first story.
A child leaves a London school in September, eats something familiar on the way to gymnastics and reaches the class as the afternoon light fades. At home, a parent sees an advert for a bright bottle of “energy” or “immune” vitamins. Would it make the child healthier—or more ready to learn a skill?
It is a reasonable question. Vitamins are essential, but the promises around them can be much bigger than the evidence. The body needs vitamins in small amounts for different everyday jobs. Most people get what they need from varied, balanced food, although official guidance does recommend particular supplements in particular circumstances [1].
This chapter begins where Issue 4 left off. Dietary fat helps the body absorb some vitamins. Now we will ask what those vitamins actually do, why other vitamins behave differently, and why “more” is not a sensible gymnastics target. We will also explain the important UK exception: vitamin D guidance during autumn and winter, with different advice for younger children.
For a growing gymnast, the starting point remains the same as it has throughout this series: enough food, variety over time and room to enjoy both school and movement. Growth comes before performance. A vitamin cannot replace a missed meal, a night's sleep or the patient practice through which children learn gymnastics.
Food, Growth & Gymnastics
What Vitamins Do
Food supplies the energy a child uses across the day. Vitamins are different: they are needed in small amounts to help normal processes work. They do not provide that energy themselves. This is why a vitamin pill is not a substitute for breakfast, lunch or a workable meal pattern [1].
The word vitamins can sound as though it describes one single substance. It does not. Vitamin A has roles that include vision in dim light and healthy skin. Some B vitamins help the body release energy from food. Vitamin C helps maintain healthy tissues. Vitamin D helps regulate nutrients needed for bones, teeth and muscles [3,6–8]. These are normal functions, not promises of a quicker handstand or a stronger vault.
A varied diet gives families more than a checklist of letters. Fruit and vegetables, grain foods, beans, dairy or suitable alternatives, eggs, fish and other foods can contribute different nutrients across the week. The UK Eatwell Guide describes a balance across the overall pattern, not a requirement that every child's plate looks identical at every meal [2].
Two Families of Vitamins
The categories describe handling, not sporting value. Neither means that extra supplements are automatically useful.
Issue 4 introduced the fat-soluble vitamins. Here is the complete map: A, D, E and K are fat-soluble; the B vitamins and vitamin C are water-soluble. These labels describe how vitamins are handled in the body, not which group is “better”. The fat-soluble group is absorbed with dietary fat, and members of that group can be stored. Water-soluble vitamins dissolve in water, but different B vitamins do not all behave in precisely the same way [3–8].
Neither category is an invitation to take a high-dose supplement. Too much of some fat-soluble vitamins can be harmful, and “water-soluble” does not mean “unlimited and safe”: the NHS warns about high doses of some B vitamins and vitamin C too [3,6–8].
For a family, the useful conclusion is simpler than the chemistry. Keep ordinary, varied food at the centre. Follow age-appropriate official advice where it applies. If a supplement is needed, the appropriate dose matters; a bottle labelled “natural” or “for active kids” does not change that.
Food, Growth & Gymnastics
Vitamins A, E, K and B
The body can also turn beta-carotene from foods such as carrots, sweet potatoes and leafy vegetables into vitamin A [3].
| Vitamin | One normal role | Familiar examples | What it does not promise |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | Dim-light vision, skin and normal immune function [3] | Eggs; dairy; oily fish; carrots, sweet potatoes and leafy vegetables as beta-carotene sources | Perfect eyesight or fewer missed classes |
| E | Healthy skin and eyes; normal immune function [4] | Plant oils; nuts; seeds | Faster recovery after a difficult session |
| K | Blood clotting and wound healing [5] | Leafy vegetables; vegetable oils; grains | Protection from gymnastics injuries |
Food examples are options, not a required shopping list. A child's overall pattern matters more than one meal.
The fat-soluble label also gives a reason to be careful with products that overlap. A child might be offered a multivitamin, vitamin drops and a fish-liver-oil product by different adults, each with the best intentions. More than one can contain vitamin A or D. Check the label, and ask a pharmacist if you are unsure before combining them [3,9].
B Vitamins: Helping the Body Use Food
There is no single “vitamin B”. The B group includes several vitamins with different roles. Thiamin (B1) helps the body break down and release energy from food. B6 helps the body use energy from protein and carbohydrate and helps form haemoglobin. B12 is involved in red blood cells and a healthy nervous system. Folate also matters for red blood cells [6].
That wording is important. A B-vitamin supplement does not contain the energy a child missed by not eating lunch. A child who reaches the gym hungry needs a workable food routine, not an “energy vitamin”.
The food sources are ordinary and varied: wholegrain bread, peas, eggs, milk or yoghurt, fish, meat, leafy vegetables, beans and some fortified cereals can contribute different B vitamins [6]. Not every family eats all of these foods, nor should they need to. The useful question is whether the child's overall diet offers reliable sources of the nutrients they need.
Food, Growth & Gymnastics
Vitamin C and a British Winter
Vitamin C helps maintain healthy skin, blood vessels, bones and cartilage, and it plays a part in wound healing [7]. The NHS also explains that vitamin C in a meal can help the body absorb iron from plant foods [9,10]. We will look at iron more fully in the next issue, when this series turns to minerals.
Fruit and vegetables offer many possible sources: citrus fruit, strawberries, peppers, broccoli and even potatoes are examples [7]. A family does not need a particular fruit imported from far away to “do vitamins properly”. Fresh, frozen and cooked foods can all be part of a varied pattern [2]. The aim is variety over time, not a daily vitamin score.
The phrase “immune vitamin” can mislead. Vitamin C is needed for normal health; that does not mean a high-dose product can promise that a gymnast will not catch a cold or miss school. The NHS says people should generally be able to get the vitamin C they need from a varied, balanced diet and warns that excessive supplement doses can cause harm [7].
Vitamin D and a British Winter
Supplement advice depends on age and circumstances; see the guidance below. This is national UK guidance, not a special requirement created by London or gymnastics [8].
Vitamin D helps the body regulate calcium and phosphate, which are needed for healthy bones, teeth and muscles [8]. This matters to a growing child, but it is not a claim that a tablet improves a landing or prevents an injury.
Oily fish and egg yolks are among the few food sources; some spreads and breakfast cereals have vitamin D added. Ordinary UK cows' milk is generally not fortified [8]. Sun safety still matters in brighter months: the answer is never to keep a child outside until their skin reddens [9].
Food, Growth & Gymnastics
What the NHS Actually Advises
The separate NHS young-child page also advises daily vitamins A, C and D for ages six months to five years [9]. Check overlapping products before giving more than one.
The key distinction is ‘consider’ for those over four in autumn/winter, versus year-round ‘should be given’ advice for ages one to four [8,9].
Advice changes with age. For children over four, the NHS says everyone should consider a daily supplement containing 10 micrograms (400 IU) of vitamin D during autumn and winter. For those over four who are not often outdoors or usually cover most of their skin outdoors, it recommends taking this amount throughout the year. People with darker skin should also consider it all year [8]. This is public-health advice, not a performance supplement for gymnasts.
For children aged one to four, NHS advice is different: they should be given a daily supplement containing 10 micrograms (400 IU) of vitamin D throughout the year [8,9]. The NHS's separate young-child page also advises that children aged six months to five years are given daily supplements containing vitamins A, C and D. That page includes an infant-formula exception for babies, not a reason to change advice for a primary-school gymnast [9].
The two NHS pages use overlapping age language around the fifth birthday. A family whose child is near that boundary—or already uses drops, a multivitamin or fish-liver oil—should use the current NHS pages and ask a pharmacist or health visitor which single suitable product meets the advice. The NHS warns against giving two overlapping supplements at the same time and against exceeding the stated dose [9].
Food, Growth & Gymnastics
Vitamin D: Why the Numbers Differ
Is the UK recommendation too low? That is a fair question. These figures concern total daily intake, not a child’s supplement dose. Their difference depends on the blood-level target chosen—and on whether guidance reaches families.
A Serious Statistical Challenge
In 2014, Veugelers and Ekwaru argued that the US calculation used averages from study groups in a way that understated variation between people [16]. The criticism deserves attention: a population recommendation should not describe only the average participant. But the paper was a methodological letter, not a trial finding a safe or necessary dose for children. It did not establish that the later UK calculation was copied from the US one.
A 2017 analysis using individual data from 882 participants aged 4–90 across seven winter trials adds important perspective. It estimated about 10 µg/day (400 IU/day) of total intake to keep nearly all above 25 nmol/L, but about 26 µg/day (1,040 IU/day) for a 50 nmol/L target. Both figures are modelled estimates for the studied populations—not an instruction to give a child 26 µg (1,040 IU) [17].
What Children’s Research Adds
One winter trial in 119 white Danish children aged 4–8 estimated different total intakes depending on the blood threshold chosen: about 8 µg/day (320 IU/day) to keep nearly all above 30 nmol/L, and about 20 µg/day (800 IU/day) for 50 nmol/L [18]. These are findings from a particular study, not a universal prescription for London children.
The problem is not only theoretical. UK survey data from 2016–19 found that 19% of children aged 4–10 and 37% of those aged 11–18 were below even the UK’s 25 nmol/L threshold in January–March [14]. These are national, historical survey figures—not a current estimate for London or for gymnasts.
Why Has Guidance Not Changed?
In June 2026, the Department of Health and Social Care said there were no plans to reassess population recommendations; it pointed to SACN’s 2016 review and its 25 nmol/L protective threshold [19]. SACN’s 2024 review acknowledged that existing advice has had limited impact and explored food fortification as another route [14]. The published record supports debate about the chosen threshold and the reach of the policy. It does not show that officials retained an error because they were reluctant to admit one.
Evidence status: official guidance and national survey [13–15,19]; peer-reviewed methodological critique and participant-level analysis [16–17]; a child-specific randomized trial [18]; clearly labelled KGM editorial position.
Food, Growth & Gymnastics
Gymnastics and the London Week
Gymnastics gives a child chances to practise, move, listen, try again and enjoy what the body can learn. It does not create a separate, universal vitamin prescription. The needs of a growing child still come first. Reviews of broader athlete research do not support supplements as a routine performance strategy for well-nourished athletes [11,12]. Those reviews did not directly test skill learning in recreational primary-school gymnasts, so the responsible conclusion is modest: do not sell vitamin products as a shortcut.
It is also possible for a supplement to be appropriate without being a “sports supplement”. The NHS autumn/winter vitamin D advice is a population-health recommendation. A child with a medically assessed deficiency or a restricted diet may need individual care. These are different reasons, and they should not be blurred with product marketing.
If a parent asks, “Would vitamins help my child concentrate at class?”, a useful first response is not a packet recommendation. Consider the full day: food since school lunch, sleep, illness, stress and how the child feels. Vitamins have normal roles over time; one class does not reveal a deficiency.
London Reality: The Ordinary Week Still Counts
Families build those routines in many ways. A packed snack, a school dinner, a family dish prepared earlier, a café stop or a later evening meal can all fit real life. Cultural variety is an advantage here, not a problem to be solved: different cuisines offer different combinations of vegetables, grains, pulses, eggs, fish, dairy or suitable alternatives. Nobody needs to copy a magazine menu for their child to be well cared for.
What does require specific attention is a genuine dietary restriction. If a child avoids a broad group of foods because of allergy, sensory difficulty, ethics or another reason, a parent can ask a qualified professional how to keep the overall pattern adequate. That is a question about the child's whole diet and growth—not permission for a coach to diagnose a missing vitamin.
Food, Growth & Gymnastics
Notice Patterns, Not “Vitamin Symptoms”
Families often notice that a child is tired, distracted, off their food or less enthusiastic about gymnastics. Those observations matter. They are not, by themselves, a vitamin test. A difficult week can involve illness, sleep, school demands, travel, mood, growth, training load or many other factors. A list in a magazine cannot identify the cause.
Start with calm questions: “How has your day been?” “Have you eaten since lunch?” “Is anything making food difficult at the moment?” Look for patterns across days, not a verdict on one class. If symptoms persist, a child's growth is concerning, eating has become restricted, or a family suspects a deficiency, speak with a GP or an appropriately qualified paediatric dietitian. A coach can share observations, but should not prescribe supplements, testing or treatment.
- “Vitamins give energy.” Vitamins provide no calories. Some help the body release energy from food; correcting a deficiency may ease tiredness, but extra vitamins are not instant fuel [1,6].
- “Water-soluble means any dose is safe.” The category is not a safety guarantee [6,7].
- “Food first means never supplement.” NHS guidance includes real age-specific exceptions, particularly vitamin D [8,9].
- “A supplement will improve gymnastics.” Broader athlete evidence does not support routine supplementation as a performance shortcut for the well-nourished [11,12].
If the Debate Leaves You Wondering What to Do
Food, Growth & Gymnastics
Sources and Evidence Notes
The guidance that families should act on is the current NHS advice. The newer research below explains the scientific question; it is not an alternative dose chart for children.
- NHS. (n.d.). Overview — Vitamins and minerals. Official NHS page. Last reviewed 3 August 2020.
- Office for Health Improvement and Disparities. (2016; updated 2 January 2024). The Eatwell Guide. Official UK Government publication.
- NHS. (n.d.). Vitamin A — Vitamins and minerals. Official NHS page. Last reviewed 3 August 2020.
- NHS. (n.d.). Vitamin E — Vitamins and minerals. Official NHS page. Last reviewed 3 August 2020.
- NHS. (n.d.). Vitamin K — Vitamins and minerals. Official NHS page. Last reviewed 3 August 2020.
- NHS. (n.d.). B vitamins and folic acid — Vitamins and minerals. Official NHS page. Last reviewed 3 August 2020.
- NHS. (n.d.). Vitamin C — Vitamins and minerals. Official NHS page. Last reviewed 3 August 2020.
- NHS. (n.d.). Vitamin D — Vitamins and minerals. Official NHS page. Last reviewed 3 August 2020.
- NHS. (n.d.). Vitamins for children. Official NHS page. Last reviewed 30 May 2024.
- NHS. (n.d.). The vegan diet. Official NHS page.
- Hecht, C., Bank, N., Cook, B., & Mistovich, R. J. (2023). Nutritional recommendations for the young athlete: Current concept review. Journal of the Pediatric Orthopaedic Society of North America, 5(1), Article 599. DOI: 10.55275/JPOSNA-2023-599. PubMed PMID: 40433081.
- Beck, K. L., von Hurst, P. R., O'Brien, W. J., & Badenhorst, C. E. (2021). Micronutrients and athletic performance: A review. Food and Chemical Toxicology, 158, 112618. DOI: 10.1016/j.fct.2021.112618. PubMed PMID: 34662692.
- Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition. (2016). Vitamin D and health. Official UK Government report.
- Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition. (2024). Fortifying foods and drinks with vitamin D: main report. Official UK Government report.
- National Institutes of Health, Office of Dietary Supplements. (n.d.). Vitamin D: Health professional fact sheet. Official US guidance.
- Veugelers, P. J., & Ekwaru, J. P. (2014). A statistical error in the estimation of the recommended dietary allowance for vitamin D. Nutrients, 6(10), 4472–4475. DOI: 10.3390/nu6104472; PubMed PMID: 25333201.
- Cashman, K. D., Ritz, C., Kiely, M., & ODIN Collaborators. (2017). Improved dietary guidelines for vitamin D: Application of individual participant data (IPD)-level meta-regression analyses. Nutrients, 9(5), 469. DOI: 10.3390/nu9050469; PubMed PMID: 28481259.
- Mortensen, C., Damsgaard, C. T., Hauger, H., Ritz, C., Lanham-New, S. A., Smith, T. J., Hennessy, Á., Dowling, K., Cashman, K. D., Kiely, M., & Mølgaard, C. (2016). Estimation of the dietary requirement for vitamin D in white children aged 4–8 y: A randomized, controlled, dose-response trial. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 104(5), 1310–1317. DOI: 10.3945/ajcn.116.136697; PubMed PMID: 27733403.
- Department of Health and Social Care. (2026, 23 June). Vitamin D: Written question 9754 [Parliamentary answer]. Official UK Parliament record.
Reading note: UK and US amounts refer to different policy targets. The blood-level estimates in [17–18] are study results, not KGM supplement recommendations. The editor’s policy question is an editorial position.