Supplements 101: Vitamin D
Research even suggests that vitamin D2 is less effective than vitamin D3 at raising blood levels of vitamin D. This article sums up the main differences between vitamin D2 and D3.
What Are The Main Differences Between Vitamin D And D3?
Generally, when one mentions vitamin D, the implied selection is 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.
Its strength is typically measured in international units, which is abbreviated as “IU” on labeling. The 50,000 IU capsules are prescription only, while lower strengths are available over-the-counter. Vitamin D is less expensive to produce and therefore is the form most commonly found in fortified food products.
When your skin is exposed to sunlight, it produces vitamin D3. For this reason, it is sometimes referred to as the sunshine vitamin.
Main Differences Between Vitamin D And D3 Vitamin D2 Vitamin D3 Drug Class Vitamin D Analog Vitamin D Analog Brand/Generic Status Brand And Generic Available Brand And Generic Available What Is The Generic Name?
Ergocalciferol or vitamin D2
Drisdol, Calcidol, Calciferol Cholecalciferol, Vitamin D, Or Vitamin D3
Decara, Dialyvite D3 Max What Form(S) Does The Drug Come In?
Indefinite Indefinite Who Typically Uses The Medication?
Bottom Line.
* Like me, I know many of you are vitamin D fans.
Sadly, That Vitamin D Love (And Money) Can Go To Waste If You’Re Not Taking The Right Form Of Vitamin D. D3 Or D2?
That is the question. By choosing to share the Olympic gold rather than have a jump-off. 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.
Official Answer
In D” now refers to several different forms. Vitamin D2 is a synthetic form (man made) and Vitamin D3 is the internal form that we make. German researcher Adolf Windaus first discovered 3 forms of vitamin D, which he called D1, D2, and D3.
It was later learned that the vitamin D1 was a mixture of compounds rather than a pure vitamin D product, so the term D1 is no longer used. Read Next → The Vitamin D Gui.