What Is Vitamin D?
One of the main roles of vitamin D is promoting calcium absorption, which allows for proper bone mineralization and growth. It also plays diverse roles throughout the body, including reducing inflammation, supporting immune function, and metabolizing glucose. Check your vitamin D levels at home with the Everlywell Vitamin D Test.
What’S The Difference Between Vitamin D And Vitamin D3?
Both D2 and D3 are simply called “vitamin D,” so there’s no meaningful difference between vitamin D3 and just vitamin D.
That being said, it can be worth understanding how vitamin D2 and D3 specifically are different from each other—so here’s a quick rundown:
Vitamin D3 is the form of vitamin D the human body makes when sunlight strikes the skin. The body can’t manufacture vitamin D2. Vitamin D2 primarily comes from plant sources (like wild mushrooms), and forms when certain kinds of plants are exposed to ultraviolet light from the sun.
When ingested, both vitamin D2 and D3 have to pass through the liver and kidneys, where they get processed into the active, usable form of vitamin D. Both forms of vitamin D are readily available as over-the-counter oral supplements.
Which Form Of Vitamin D Is Better?
Thus, the type of vitamin D you get is less important than getting the right dose and making sure your levels are in the right range to avoid deficiency. Most experts recommend 600 to 800 IUs of vitamin D per day. Vitamin D. Nih, Office of Dietary Supplements.
Accessed February 15, 2021. Nair R, Maseeh A. Vitamin D: The “sunshine” vitamin. Vitamin D2 vs. D3: Which Should I Take for Bone Health?.
Accessed February 15, 2021.
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?).
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. 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 D3 mainly comes from animal sources such as fish oil, fatty fish, liver, and egg yolks. All forms of vitamin D3 are available over-the-counter.
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?
What Is The Brand Name?
1,000 Iu To 2,000 Iu Daily For Vitamin D Supplementation 1,000 Iu To 2,000 Iu Daily For Vitamin D Supplementation How Long Is The Typical Treatment?
Infants, children, adolescents, and adults Infants, children, adolescents, and adults.
Supplements 101: Vitamin D
It’s a family of nutrients that shares similarities in chemical structure. While both types help you meet your vitamin D requirements, they differ in a few important ways.
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.