What Is The Difference Between Vitamin D And Vitamin D3
Vitamin D is a vitamin that humans require to survive. Vitamin D2 and vitamin D3 are the two forms of the vitamin in the human body. There isn’t much of a difference between vitamin D3 and simply vitamin D, since they’re all referred to as “vitamin D.”
Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin that is stored in the liver and released into the bloodstream when needed. Vitamin D can also be obtained from food or supplements. Vitamin D helps the body absorb calcium and phosphorus, two minerals that are essential for bone health.
Vitamin D deficiency can lead to osteoporosis, rickets, and other health problems. Most people get enough vitamin D from exposure to sunlight and from their diet. However, some groups of people are at risk for vitamin D deficiency and may need to take supplements.
What Are The Signs That I Took Too Much Vitamin D3
The signs of too much vitamin D include nausea, vomiting, poor appetite, constipation, weakness, and weight loss. If you experience any of these symptoms after taking vitamin D supplements, stop taking the supplement and call your doctor.
You may need to be treated with intravenous fluids and medications. Vitamin D toxicity is rare, but it can be serious.
If you think you may have taken too much vitamin D, call your doctor or poison control center immediately. Symptoms of vitamin D toxicity can take months to develop. Early treatment is important to prevent more serious health problems.
Should You Take Vitamin D Everyday
Vitamin D helps control how much calcium and phosphate you absorb from food.
Calcium is essential for bone health. Phosphate is needed for healthy bones, teeth, muscles, nerves, and basic bodily functions.
Vitamin D comes in two forms:
- Vitamin D2 is naturally found in some plants.
- Vitamin D3 is naturally found in animals and is produced by the skin when its exposed to sunlight.
You can meet your vitamin D needs with either form. But healthcare providers generally suggest D3 supplements. Thats because it:
- Raises your overall vitamin D level more than D2
- Lasts longer in the body than D2
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It May Improve Symptoms Of Seasonal Affective Disorder
While vitamin Ds potential role in helping prevent or manage clinical depression is still unclear because of limited research, researchers believe that a persons vitamin D level may indeed play a role in the risk of seasonal affective disorder, or seasonal depression, according to the National Institute of Mental Health. Because there is less sunlight in winter, people tend to produce less vitamin D, which may affect the activity of the neurotransmitterserotonin and play a role in seasonal affective disorder.
Serotonin is the same chemical that your brain pumps out when you go on a long run, eat a piece of chocolate, or hold the hand of the person you love. Its a feel-good hormone. So when the serotonin level is thrown off you may feel blue or be at a greater risk for mood disorders, notes World Psychiatry. Foroutan points out that healthcare providers may prescribe vitamin D supplements to help treat seasonal affective disorder.
Studies on the effectiveness of vitamin D as a depression treatment have had mixed results, but a recent one shows promise. A review and meta-analysis published in July 2022 in Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition found that daily vitamin D supplementation equal to or exceeding 2,000 IU per day may help reduce depressive symptoms. However, researchers described their results as having very low certainty.
How Much Vitamin D Does The Average Person Need
In November 2010, the Institute of Medicine’s expert panel established a new “dietary reference intake” for vitamin D.
Assuming a person receives virtually no vitamin D from the sun and that they consume enough calcium, the IOM committee recommends consuming these amounts of vitamin D from food or supplements:
· 400 IU/day for infants age 0 to 6 months the maximum safe upper level of intake is 1,000 IU/day for children aged 0 to 6 months
· 400 IU/day for 6- to 12-month-olds maximum safe upper level of intake, 1,500 IU/day
· Adequate intake, 600 IU/day maximum safe upper level of intake, 2,500 IU/day
· Adequate intake, 600 IU/day maximum tolerable upper level of consumption, 3,000 IU/day for ages 4-8 years.
· Adequate intake, 600 IU/day maximum tolerable upper level of intake, 4000 IU/day Adolescents and adults may use up to 4,000 IU per day. Children 9 through 70 months require only 600 IU each day.
· Adequate intake: 800 IU/day maximum safe upper level of intake, 4,000 IU/day for persons over 71 years old.
Note: You should never give infants or children supplemental vitamin D without talking to your doctor first.
The Vitamin D Council recommends that healthy adults consume 2,000 IU of vitamin D each day — more if they don’t get enough sun.
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About Elm & Rye D3 Capsules
Image courtesy Elm & Rye
Elm & Rye’s D3 Capsules are a great way to ensure you’re getting enough vitamin D. Elm & Rye’s D3 Capsules are made from natural ingredients and are free from fillers, binders, and artificial ingredients.
Elm & Rye’s D3 Capsules are also non-GMO, gluten-free, and vegan. Not only that, but you can opt to buy this D3 supplement in gummies if you’d rather have a chewable option.
If You Take Any Group Of Patients With Almost Any Disease Their Vitamin D Levels Will Be Lower Than In A Healthy Individual Ian Reid
Ian Reid, professor in medicine at the University of Auckland, believes that diseases cause low vitamin D levels, as being unwell often leads to spending less time outdoors exposed to sunlight, rather than vice versa. If you take any group of patients with almost any disease, their vitamin D levels will be lower than in a healthy individual. This has led some to hypothesise its low vitamin D developing the disease, but theres no evidence to prove it, he says.
Some experts believe people who are unwell have low vitamin D levels because they spend less time outdoors, not that their low levels cause health problems
Researchers have found that higher vitamin D levels are associated with a lower risk of colorectal cancer it plays a role in stemming the formation of new blood vessels and stimulating better communication between cells. Vitamin D also has been found to help maintain normal levels of calcium in the colon, which slows growth of non-cancerous but high-risk cells.
Other studies, including of the link between vitamin D and liver cancer,breast cancer and prostate cancer, suggest there is good reason to think that low vitamin D plays a part in the spread of cancer cells. But taking supplements would then, surely, help stave off cancer and a recent meta-analysis failed to find that supplementation reduced cancer risk.
D for depression
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Serum Parathyroid Hormone And Bone Turnover Markers
Effects of vitamin D supplementation on serum PTH, serum APh and CTX in the various treatment groups are shown in Table 2. Serum PTH decreased in the vitamin D group from 7.2 to 5.5 pmol/l when compared to placebo, which is a decrease of 23% . The decrease of serum PTH was greater with daily administration of vitamin D when compared to weekly and monthly administration. The difference between weekly and monthly administration of vitamin D was not significant. The serum concentrations of alkaline phosphatase and CTX did not change following vitamin D supplementation.
Does Vitamin D Affect Hair
Chacon says that hair loss may be caused by both the deficiency and excess of vitamins D and D2. According to a 2020 study in the International Journal of Dermatology, a deficiency of vitamins D and D2 may contribute to the development and severity of androgenetic alopecia, also known as male pattern hair loss.
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When To Take Vitamin D And Why It Matters
Your body makes vitamin D when your skin is exposed to the sun, which is why youll often hear this vitamin referred to by its friendly nickname, the sunshine vitamin. Because vitamin D supports functions throughout your entire body, vitamin D benefits include everything from immunity and muscle strength to calcium absorption, which is essential for bone health.
But consistent sun exposure can be hard to come by depending on where you live, your daily schedule and the time of year. And even if you do have great sun exposure, factors like sunscreen, time of day and even the clothes you wear can all interfere with your bodys ability to naturally produce vitamin D.
You consume vitamin D in foods like egg yolks and fatty fish, such as salmon and mackerel. However, it can be difficult to get enough from food sources alone. Vitamin D dietary supplements make it easy to get enough vitamin D.
Instead of taking a broad-spectrum multivitamin , we recommend a targeted vitamin D supplement like Bulletproof Vitamins A-D-K. Vitamins A, D and K work better together, and you get science-backed doses of each in one convenient softgel.
Always be sure to follow the manufacturer recommendations printed on the label and get medical advice from your doctor or a dietitian about whether supplementation is right for you and how much vitamin D you need.
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Should I Take Vitamin D Or D3
Whether found in foods or dietary supplements, Vitamin D actually comes in two main forms:
- Vitamin D2 is in some mushrooms
- Vitamin D3 is in beef liver, egg yolks, cheese, oily fish, and fish liver oil
Can you take vitamin D3 every day? Yes! Research shows that vitamin D3 is roughly 87% more potent in raising blood levels of vitamin D and produces two to three times greater storage of vitamin D in the body compared to vitamin D2, thus making vitamin D3 the preferred vitamin D form by the body.
When should you take vitamin D: morning or night? While time of day doesnt really matter with your vitamin D dosage, many people take vitamins as part of their morning routine. Because vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin, its absorbed more easily in the presence of dietary fat. For breakfast, this could mean eating some healthy fat such as avocado, full-fat dairy, or eggs with your supplement for best vitamin D absorption.
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Why Take A Supplement
Speaking with our experts, we found that they agree there are plenty of groups of people who could benefit from a supplement regimen. “With a huge increase in chronic disease and ill health, medication use, and poor dietary choices, we are seeing many individuals lacking basic nutrition from food,” says nutritionist Amanda Henham of Vaga Nutrition. “Therefore a need to supplement while implementing small and incremental healthy changes may be required.”
Dr. Scott Schreiber, a rehabilitation specialist, explains to his patients that it may not be possible to receive all our vitamins from food because of the soil they’re grown in. “With the current state of our soil, I recommend a combination of organic whole foods and a daily multivitamin supplement.” Registered dietitian Danielle Omar agrees. “Farmland soil is depleted of important vitamins and trace minerals, and our food sometimes travels thousands of miles to reach us,” she says. “So once that kale reaches your dinner table, it may be well over a week old and vital nutrients are quickly dissipating.”
The following slides provide details on certain crucial vitamins you need to consume every day. After you get through the list of vitamins, keep reading! We’ll answer some burning questions about which foods to eat to get certain vitamins, as well as why sometimes food isn’t enough.
Is Vitamin D Deficiency Common
For the first 20 years I was a doctor, I hardly ever checked anyone’svitamin D levels. We knew people with very low levels were at higher risk of ‘thinning’ of the bones . So we did used to prescribe calcium and vitamin D supplements for people at high risk of breaking a bone.
Occasionally we’d check someone’s blood levels of vitamin D and discover they were very low – so we’d give them a single injection of very high-dose vitamin D. But that was about it.
In the last decade, there has been a complete revolution among doctors in our attitudes to vitamin D. Once we started measuring it, I certainly discovered at least half my patients were short of vitamin D and one in six patients were severely deficient. So we started recommending vitamin D supplements routinely for anyone at risk of developing osteoporosis as well as other conditions .
But on 5th October 2018 a new study on vitamin D and osteoporosis was published which is likely to change our thinking again.
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The Link Between Vitamin D & Sleep
Perhaps you’ve heard some of the buzz out there right now that suggests that supplementing with vitamin D before hitting the hay can affect your ability to snooze. Well, it’s not a super-clear story right now.
Research has shown that vitamin D is involved in the production of the hormone melatonin, which helps regulate your circadian rhythm and sleep. As mbg’s director of scientific affairs Ashley Jordan Ferira, Ph.D., RDN, explains, “The vitamin D and sleep relationship appears to be a bidirectional one. Suboptimal vitamin D status is linked to lower sleep quality and shorter sleep duration, and inadequate sleep is linked to a higher risk of vitamin D deficiency. The science is young and emerging here.”
Holick concurs, “There is some evidence to suggest that vitamin D promotes sleep, but research is ongoing.”* Indeed, vitamin D deficiency has been linked with several sleep issuesbut the true relationship between supplements and sleep still requires some investigation to understand, he explains.*
When To Take Vitamin D
It’s important to put this new study into context. It didn’t look at babies and children under 5, so does nothing to undermine the current Public Health England guidance that they, along with pregnant women, should take a daily vitamin D supplement. People who are at risk of vitamin D deficiency because they cover up for religious reasons or don’t get outside at all should also continue to take supplementation.
In addition, this study was only looking at the impact of vitamin D on bone health. In recent years, we’ve discovered that vitamin D regulates at least 1,000 genes in the body – affecting blood vessels, immune system, muscle strength and more. Tiredness and muscle pains are the most common symptoms, but low levels have been linked to an increased risk of depression, heart disease and even multiple sclerosis.
As yet, there haven’t been any large scale studies looking at whether taking a vitamin D supplement, if you’re at risk of deficiency, protects against any of these. But vitamin D at the recommended levels doesn’t appear to have any adverse side effects: so if Vitamin D supplements does offer any protection at all, the risk: benefit ratio is likely to come down in favour of taking them.
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Do Vitamin D Supplements Work
In the past, scientists have become very excited about other ‘antioxidant’ vitamins, particularly vitamins A, C and E and their role in preventing heart disease. The thinking went something like this: people who eat lots of fruit and veg are less likely to have heart attacks fruit and veg are high in antioxidant vitamins antioxidants are a good thing because they mop up ‘free radicals’ which can damage DNA so if people don’t get their required amount of vitamins through fruit and veg, giving them in supplement form of vitamin will be just as good. In fact, when the studies were done, topping up with supplements didn’t cut heart disease risk at all.
The new study shows a similar result for vitamin D, at least as far as fractures, falls and bone density are concerned. There is no evidence that taking vitamin D supplements reduces the risk of fractures or falls, or improves bone density. So doctors need to question whether they should be prescribing to people at risk of osteoporosis, and we all have to go back to the drawing board to protect ourselves.
How Do You Ensure That You Have Enough Vitamin D
The recommended daily allowance of vitamin D is 600 international units for most people ages 1 to 70, per the FNB. For people over age 70, its 800 IU, and for infants, its 400 IU.
But its not easy to get that much vitamin D through diet and sunlight alone. The average amount of the nutrient that an individual gets from food and drink rarely exceeds 204 IU per day in men and 168 IU per day in women. Even drinking whole milk fortified with vitamin D will get you only 95.6 IU in 8 ounces , according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture . Unsweetened oat milk boasts 68 IU per 100 grams per the USDA, and the same amount of almond milk contains 63.6 IU, the USDA reports.
Thats why many people take vitamin D supplements. However, a study published in July 2022 in the The New England Journal of Medicine suggests that they may not be necessary or effective in those who dont have a vitamin D deficiency. If you suspect that you have a deficiency, consult your primary care provider, as treatment recommendations vary widely.
Keep in mind that there can be too much of a good thing with vitamin D, which is why the FNB set an upper limit of 4,000 IU per day in supplementation for people over age 9 and up to 3,000 IU for infants and children up to age 8, depending on age. Dosages beyond those increase the risk of death, cancer, and cardiovascular events, as well as falls and fractures in older adults, says the NIH.
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