Spring supplements

Spring changes your body clock, your training and the air you breathe. Daylight returns from late March, so your own vitamin D production starts up again. Pollen counts climb in the same weeks. Most people do not need more supplements in spring. They need a different set than in January.

The vitamin D dose you took in winter is not the dose you need now

UK government advice is that adults and children over four consider 10 micrograms (400 IU) of vitamin D a day during autumn and winter. From late March or early April to the end of September, most people can make enough from sunlight on their skin. Some groups are advised to supplement all year: people who spend little time outdoors, who cover their skin, or who have African, African-Caribbean or South Asian family background. So spring is a moment to check the strength on your label, not to buy a stronger bottle. Our vitamin D3 range runs from 400 IU upwards for that reason. Vitamin D contributes to the normal function of the immune system.

Pollen season starts before the symptoms do

Tree pollen arrives before grass pollen, so many people start looking for support in March rather than May. Quercetin, a plant compound found in onions and apples, is the option shoppers ask about most, often in a formula with vitamin C or bromelain. Be realistic here: quercetin carries no approved European health claim, and it does not replace antihistamines from the pharmacy. We do stock it, because doses run from 250 mg to over 500 mg per capsule and that difference matters when you compare products. If you want the wider picture, see what we group under support during pollen season.

How we choose what goes into this spring selection

We select on three things: the form, the dosage and combinations that make sense. For vitamin D that means D3 in an oil base or drops, because it is fat-soluble and absorbs better with fat. For magnesium we prefer citrate or bisglycinate over oxide, since oxide delivers little usable magnesium per tablet. We buy directly from the brands, with no intermediaries in between, and every product passes our compliance team before it goes live. We test products ourselves and independent labs spot-check batches. This is the advice we would give our own mother: how we select our brands.

Who this selection suits

• Winter vitamin D users who want a lower daily strength, or drops instead of tablets
• Runners and cyclists back outdoors, looking at magnesium and electrolytes for longer sessions
• People who feel flat in April: iron, vitamin C and vitamin B12 each contribute to the reduction of tiredness and fatigue
• Hay fever sufferers who prefer to start weeks before the peak rather than during it

One honest note on timing. Nutrients work on consistency, not on single doses, so give a new routine two to three weeks of daily use before you judge it. That is also why we would rather sell you one product you keep taking than four you abandon in June. If outdoor training is picking up again, magnesium in a well-absorbed form is a sensible addition: magnesium contributes to normal muscle function and to normal energy-yielding metabolism.