Vitamins and supplements you really need this winter

Britain's cold snap is finally here and flu season is hitting harder than ever. From magnesium to vitamin D and kimchi,

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It’s dark at 4pm. Rain is hammering on the windows. Wind is pummelling through the trees. Yes, the gloomiest time of year is well and truly upon us, and it’s about to take another turn. The UK has recorded its coldest night since March, and snow, frost and ice are set to hit Scotland and the North before the week's out.

It feels like we've suddenly fast-forwarded into deep midwinter, and following the dramatic shift in temperature, top doctors are urging people to take up their flu vaccinations ahead of what could be the “most severe flu outbreak in decades”.

Hospital admissions are already on the rise for the H3N2 flu strain, with infections hitting numbers not usually seen until December. But what else can you take to shore up your immune system this season? Here are the vitamins and supplements doctors and nutritionists swear by to keep mood and immunity up in the winter months...

Vitamin D

Thanks to depleted hours of natural light, seasonal affective disorder (Sad) is common in the autumn and winter months. Our bodies make vitamin D from sunlight, so in its absence, we can't make enough of it from October to March, and the government recommends everyone over the age of 4 should take 10 micrograms of vitamin D during these months.

“Vitamin D is an essential nutrient, which contributes to the normal function of the immune system and helps to regulate the amount of calcium and phosphate in the body, helping to maintain healthy bones, muscles and teeth,” explains Boots nutritionist Vicky Pennington.