We’re frequently asked in our comment section about: vitamin d vitamin d3.
What Are The Main Differences Between Vitamin D And D3?
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.
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. 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.
What Is The Brand Name?
Oral Tablets And Capsules, Oral Liquid Solution Oral Tablets And Capsules, Oral Liquid Solution, Sublingual Liquid Solution What Is The Standard Dosage?
What Is Vitamin D?
Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin that is found in certain foods and supplements, but it can also be made by the body when your skin is exposed to the ultraviolet rays of sunlight. It is actually the only vitamin of the 13 essential vitamins that your body can manufacture on its own. 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?
There are two possible forms of vitamin D in the human body: vitamin D2 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. Vitamin D3 is found in animal sources of foods, like fatty fish and fish oil, liver, organ meats, and egg yolks. 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. (The amount of vitamin D in foods and supplements is usually expressed in terms of International Units, or IUs.). Accessed February 15, 2021.
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.