If you’re here then you’ve probably Google’d about: vitamin d 2 and 3. This article aims to clear any doubts and questions you may have about this subject and we will do our best to do so.
Supplements 101: Vitamin D
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He calciferols suggests that equimolar quantities of vitamins D(2) (D2) and D(3) (D3) are biologically equivalent. Published studies yield mixed results. Principal outcome variables were area under the curve for incremental total 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] and change in calciferol content of sc fat.
Total calciferol in fat rose by only 33 ng/kg in the D2-treated, whereas it rose by 104 μg/kg in the D3-treated group. Conclusion: D3 is approximately 87% more potent in raising and maintaining serum 25(OH)D concentrations and produces 2- to 3-fold greater storage of vitamin D than does equimolar D2. For neither was there evidence of sequestration in fat, as had been postulated for doses in this range.
Bottom Line.
over the past year. Unlike some nutrition queries that are somewhat gray and equivocal in nature, when vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol) and vitamin D2 (ergocalciferol) go head-to-head, the winner is clear. Allow me to use an analogy to explain.
By choosing to share the Olympic gold rather than have a jump-off. They both left Tokyo with gold medals. Vitamin D3 and D2 are…nothing like that.
To wrap my Olympics nutrition visual: Vitamin D3 is on the middle podium with its anthem playing loud and clear, whereas vitamin D2 didn’t medal at all. Before I get granular on why D3 triumphs over D2, let’s recap why vitamin D should be top of mind in the first plac.
What Are The Main Differences Between Vitamin D And D3?
The term vitamin D is kind of a misnomer because you will not find anything labeled simply as “vitamin D” in a pharmacy vitamin aisle.
Rather, your choices will be vitamin D2 (What is vitamin D2?). Generally, when one mentions vitamin D, the implied selection is vitamin D2. For the purpose of this article, when vitamin D is mentioned, it will refer to vitamin D2.
The names can be confusing, because many times, patients go into the pharmacy looking for vitamin D and are surprised that there is a D2 and a D3. Vitamin D (D2) comes from plant sources, such as wild mushrooms, as well as fortified foods, such as milk or cereal products. Vitamin D is less expensive to produce and therefore is the form most commonly found in fortified food products.
Vitamin D3 mainly comes from animal sources such as fish oil, fatty fish, liver, and egg yolks. For this reason, it is sometimes referred to as the sunshine vitamin. Its strength is also measured in international units.
All forms of vitamin D3 are available over-the-counter.