Often referred to as the sunshine vitamin, vitamin D is an umbrella term that refers to a family of very similar compounds. Cholecalciferol, also known as vitamin D3, stands out as one such compound. Vitamin D2, sometimes called ergocalciferol, can also play an important role the body. Understanding how the body processes these vitamins can help you address your vitamin D status more effectively.
Food Sources
The National Institutes of Health note that vitamin D exists in a number of foods. Mushrooms contain vitamin D2, while eggs and oily fish contain vitamin D3. The latter remains the most common form on of the nutrient food found in foods, with cod liver oil standing out as the most concentrated food source of vitamin D3.
Sunlight
When you expose your skin to intense sunlight, specialized cells produce vitamin D3. The Vitamin D Council note that this remains the major source of most vitamin D in the body. However, the Council point outs that people with darker skin require a longer time in the sun to produce the same amount of the nutrient, nutrient. The amount of time may be up to 10 times as long in some cases.
Vitamin D Deficiency
Because modern living and working conditions see keep most of the population indoors for the majority of the day, vitamin D deficiency has become extremely popular prevalent across the nation. This is according to the Vitamin D Council, which highlights how the problem becomes particularly pronounced during the winter.
Vitamin D Effects
The body converts both ergocalciferol and cholecalciferol into an intermediate storage form called calcidiol. This compound then undergoes a second conversion in the kidney to form the active form of vitamin D, calcidiol. Dr. Joseph Mercola, the author of "The No-Grain Diet," explains that vitamin D can help improve bone health, support the immune system, boost mood and reduce the incidence of cancer.
Vitamin D3 Potency
As either can convert into calcidiol, you only require one of either vitamin D3 or vitamin D2 at any time. However, the former remains the most potent form of vitamin D. The Vitamin D Council points out how other forms of vitamin D, such as D2, do not elevate concentrations of calcidiol in the same way; as a result, you may need considerably more of the nutrient than D3. During the winter, they recommend around 4,000 IU of vitamin D3 per day, which appears to match the amount used by a healthy body. If you take in this amount of vitamin D3, you should have no additioanl requirement for any vitamin D2.
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