Learn about the different types of vitamin D pills:

Types of vitamin D pills

Few foods naturally contain vitamin D. Although some foods are fortified with the vitamin, for most people, the best way to get enough vitamin D is to take a supplement. Because it’s hard to eat enough through food.

Vitamin D supplements are available in two forms, and the types of vitamin D pills will be described below:

Also known as ergocalciferol, vitamin D2 is produced in plants and fungi.

Vitamin D2 is used as a prescription to treat hypoparathyroidism, vitamin D resistant rickets and low levels of phosphorus in the blood. This type of vitamin D pills is commonly used for vitamin D deficiency in both prescription and over-the-counter preparations. .

Also known as cholecalciferol, vitamin D3 is produced in animals as well as humans.

All forms of vitamin D3 supplements are available over the counter, as they are not approved by the FDA to be a type of vitamin D pill for therapeutic use, however, vitamin D3 is commonly used over the counter to treat hypoparathyroidism, vitamin D deficiency, as well as to prevent osteoporosis.

The difference between types of vitamin D

Both are natural forms produced in the presence of the sun’s ultraviolet rays, hence the name “sun vitamin.” Vitamin D production in the skin is the main natural source of vitamin D.

But many people do not have adequate levels; Because they live in places where there is limited sunlight in the winter, or because they have limited exposure to sunlight, or because they are dark-skinned people with darker skin tend to have lower levels of vitamin D in their blood; Because the melanin pigment acts like a shade, reducing vitamin D production, it also reduces the harmful effects of sunlight on the skin, including skin cancer.

In the following table, an explanation of the difference between the types of vitamin D pills:

Is vitamin D3 more effective in raising the level of vitamin D?

Vitamin D3 is more effective in improving your vitamin D level, as vitamin D2 and D3 are not the same when it comes to raising your vitamin D status.

Both are effectively absorbed into the bloodstream, but the liver processes them differently. The liver metabolizes vitamin D2 to 25-hydroxyvitamin D2 and vitamin D3 to 25-hydroxyvitamin D3. Together, these two compounds are known as calcifediol.

Calcividil is the main form of vitamin D, and its blood levels reflect the stores of this substance in the body; This is why your doctor can assess your vitamin D level by measuring your calcifidiol levels.

However, vitamin D2 appears to produce lower amounts of calcifidiol than an equivalent amount of vitamin D3, so most Studies Vitamin D3 is more effective than vitamin D2 in raising blood calcipodiol levels.