This subject along with many others are quite common, we will do our best to answer this and many other similar questions in this article which should ease your mind regarding this subject.
Supplements 101: Vitamin D
It’s a family of nutrients that shares similarities in chemical structure.
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. 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. 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. Its strength is also measured in international units.
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?
Oral Tablets And Capsules, Oral Liquid Solution Oral Tablets And Capsules, Oral Liquid Solution, Sublingual Liquid Solution What Is The Standard Dosage?
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.
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?
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. They both left Tokyo with gold medals.
Vitamin D3 Comes From Animals, Vitamin D2 From Plants
As we’ve talked about, there are two main types of vitamin D:
Vitamin D2
Vitamin D3
Vitamin D2 is known as ergocalciferol and is found in plants and fungi e.g.
Plants can generate vitamin D2 through exposure to UV light. You can learn more about supplements suitable for vegans by reading our blog. Vitamin D3 is known as cholecalciferol and is found in animals and animal products, including oily fish like salmon and mackerel.