Vitamin D or the sunshine vitamin as it is known is important for immune system, bone health and the health of our teeth. It is found in supplements in two different forms; one form is vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol) and the other is vitamin D2 (ergocalciferol). People often want to know the differences between D2 and D3. So, which one is best?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s vitamin D3 that is found in the skin, after sunshine converts cholesterol into the pre-vitamin cholecalciferol. It is this vitamin D that is found in egg yolks, oily fish, some fortified foods and some supplements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Vitamin D2 can be found in supplements and comes from plant and\/or fungal sources such as mushrooms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, vitamin D3 is the form naturally found in the body, and as a supplement is normally manufactured from lanolin which is sourced from sheep\u2019s wool. Vegan supplements contain the D2 version of the vitamin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Both vitamin D2 and vitamin D3 are converted by the liver to a third form of vitamin D, known as 25-hydroxyvitamin D, or 25(OH)D (calcidiol). This is still not the active form, but the form of vitamin D that can be measured by a blood test to calculate your levels. It has been scientifically shown that vitamin D3 increases levels of calcidiol more efficiently that vitamin D2(1).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It is the kidneys that convert 25-hydroxyvitamin D into its active form, 1,25 hydroxy vitamin D. This active form of vitamin D binds with the receptor on the genes to switch on different activities within the body. Vitamin D has been found to influence over 200 genes emphasising the importance of vitamin D for health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If there are no issues for you taking a product derived from an animal source, always choose a vitamin D supplement that contains vitamin D in the D3 (cholecalciferol) form as this has been shown to be more efficient in being converted to its active form within the body.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you are looking for a children\u2019s vitamin D supplement try Haliborange children\u2019s multivitamin Softies<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Vitamin D or the sunshine vitamin as it is known is important for immune system, bone health and the health […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1361,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[48],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n