www.healthline.com
You might think that all forms of vitamins are the same. One form of Vitamin D will do just as well as another, right?
Wrong.
So which one is better- vitamin D2 vs D3?
It has been well established that the effects of Vitamin D2 and Vitamin D3 are very different in the human body. Vitamin D2, as known as ergocalciferol, is derived from a plant. Vitamin D2 is less effective in raising a vitamin D deficiency to normal levels and has a shorter shelf life. It also has a non-physiologic metabolism, meaning is it not as available for use in the human body.
On the other hand Vitamin D3, known as cholecalciferol, is made in the skin in a reaction from UV light. Since this from of Vitamin D is made in the human body it is more bioavailable for use. This availability of Vitamin D3 makes it a better candidate for correcting a deficiency.
The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition has stated that “…vitamin D2 should no longer be regarded as a nutrient appropriate for supplementation or fortification of foods.” However, most prescriptions for this vitamin are in the Vitamin D2 form still.
We see a significant amount of Vitamin D deficiencies at WeightWise in Oklahoma City. In fact, most people we see have a deficiency. Because we see such a high number of Vitamin D deficiencies and the prescription form used is no longer regarded as effective in the science community, we provide a high dose of Vitamin D3. This is the best form of Vitamin D to take to correct a standing deficiency.
Sources:
- https://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/84/4/694.full
- https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1074552114000246
