Vitamin D vs. D3: What's the Difference?

There are two ways to increase your vitamin D levels:

1. Consume more vitamin D-rich foods.

2. Stand outside and stare at the sun.

Okay, you don’t actually have to stare at the sun. (In fact, do NOT stare at the sun, unless you want to cauterize your retinas.) But, as many know, increasing your sun exposure does translate to increased vitamin D levels, as the sunrays convert your skin cholesterol into vitamin D.

It’s like the mammal’s version of photosynthesis.

Fatty fish is also a good dietary source of vitamin D.

However, for varying reasons, many of us fail to get enough sunlight and/or consume enough vitamin D, resulting in vitamin D-deficiency—hence why many turn to vitamin D supplements to make up the difference (such as a good men’s multivitamin).

But which vitamin D supplement is best? Why do some Supplement Facts show “vitamin D” whereas others advertise “vitamin D3”—more importantly: what’s the difference between vitamin D vs. D3?

Well, lucky you, we have all the answers to these questions—and more. But, first, let’s start with the basics: what even is vitamin D?

What is Vitamin D?

Vitamin D (or calciferol), otherwise known as the “sunlight vitamin,” is a fat soluble vitamin required for the healthy functioning of many bodily systems, including the intestinal absorption of bone-strengthening calcium. ₁;Typically, people supplement vitamin D for two reasons: (1) to support bone strength, and (2) to bolster immunity.

Vitamin D plays a critical role in maintaining bone health by promoting the absorption of calcium and phosphorus, which are essential for strong bones. It helps to restore and maintain calcium in bones and is connected to conditions like osteomalacia, osteoporosis, and rickets.

With that in mind, vitamin D is a semi-essential nutrient, meaning that your body naturally synthesizes it, but you do need some dietary vitamin D to maintain healthy levels—especially if you spend much of your time indoors (say, due to work) or live in a poorly sunlit region (say, in Antarctica circa June 21st).

Symptoms of Vitamin D-Deficiency

If you’re one of those unfortunate folks who’s living in Antarctica circa June 21st and/or you spend much of your days working indoors, odds are vitamin D-deficiency or vitamin D insufficiency is a worry on your mind. But if you’re unsure if your worries are unfounded, here are some of the symptoms of vitamin D-deficiency: ²

• Fatigue

• Muscle Weakness

• Muscle Cramps

• Mood Instability (Depression)

• Bone Joint Pain

• Bone Mass Loss

• Autoimmune Disorders

Of course, “fatigue” isn’t solely linked to vitamin D-deficiency, so there are plenty of confounding variables here. But if you’re often tired and feel like you’re often getting sick, adding vitamin D to your daily diet may help—or, at the least, help you rule out “vitamin D deficiency” to get closer to the true underlying problem.

Vitamin D vs. D3: What’s the Difference?

So, when we talk about “vitamin D,” we’re talking about multiple compounds, one of which is vitamin D3. With that in mind, the question of vitamin D vs. D3 is a bit off-the-mark, namely because vitamin D3 is a type of “vitamin D.” However, “vitamin D” doesn’t necessarily refer to vitamin D3. Vitamin D is one of the essential fat-soluble vitamins that play a crucial role in regulating calcium and phosphorus levels, supporting various body processes, and maintaining overall health.

In other words, “vitamin D” is a class of calciferol-based compounds that, altogether, includes two nutritional forms: vitamin D2 and vitamin D3.

• Vitamin D2 – or ergocalciferol, a plant-sourced vitamin D found in UV-grown mushrooms, fortified foods, and many different types of dietary supplements.

• Vitamin D3 – or cholecalciferol, an animal-based vitamin D found in animals, including us human animals; i.e., vitamin D3 is the type of vitamin D our skin produces when exposed to sunlight.

Very few foods naturally contain vitamin D, which is why manufacturers often fortify foods with vitamin D. Natural sources include mushrooms and yeast exposed to sunlight or UV radiation for vitamin D2, and fatty fish for vitamin D3.

Because vitamin D2 is cheaper to manufacture than vitamin D3, it’s the more common of two in dietary supplements and fortified foods. As such, you may intuitively gather that vitamin D3 is better than vitamin D2—and you’d be right!

• As one systematic review and meta-analysis on the comparative effects of vitamin D2 and D3 observed in 2012, vitamin D3 had a much more positive effect on serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (i.e., vitamin D) levels than vitamin D2 supplementation, leading the review’s researchers to conclude that **“vitamin D3 is more efficacious at raising serum 25(OH)D concentrations than is vitamin D2, and thus vitamin D3 could potentially become the preferred choice for supplementation.”³

Is Vitamin D2 or D3 Better?

Here’s the thing: supplementing either vitamin D2 or vitamin D3 may help elevate your bioactive vitamin D levels. And given this information and the fact that vitamin D2 is cheaper to produce (and thus cheaper to buy), you’d think that vitamin D2 is the more cost-effective option of the two.

However, pound for pound (not that you need to supplement a pound of vitamin D!), vitamin D3 supplies more bioactive calciferol (vitamin D) than vitamin D2, which ultimately makes vitamin D3 the more valuable vitamin D form here. Simple as that.

What are the Health Benefits of Vitamin D3?

We know already the symptoms of vitamin D deficiency, so we can certainly add “not having those symptoms” to the health benefits of vitamin D and call it a day. But, more specifically, the key health systems that vitamin D (specifically, vitamin D3) supplementation supports include:

Maintaining normal vitamin D levels is crucial for overall health, as it leads to increased calcium absorption and prevents diseases like rickets.

• Immune System: Vitamin D3 plays a critical role in enhancing the pathogen-fighting effects of monocytes and macrophages — white blood cells that are important parts of your immune defense — and decreases inflammation.

• Bone Health: Vitamin D3 is essential for calcium absorption in the gut, which is necessary for maintaining healthy bones and teeth. It helps prevent bone disorders such as rickets in children and osteomalacia in adults.

• Mental Health: Adequate levels of vitamin D3 are associated with a lower risk of depression and improved mood.

When considering how much vitamin D you need, it is important to factor in age, health status, sun exposure, pregnancy, and certain health conditions. The appropriate dosage of vitamin D3 can vary, and it is available in different forms, such as D2 and D3, each playing a significant role in the body.

#1) Immune Support

When you go outside to “get fresh air,” you’re getting more than fresh air—you’re bolstering your immune system by solar-enhancing your vitamin D status. This is due to the close correlation between vitamin D status and immunity, as suggested by the presence of vitamin D receptors on immune cells (B cells, T cells, and antigen-presenting cells).

Additionally, Vitamin D supplementation may assist with autoimmune disorders, given the link between vitamin D deficiency and increased autoimmunity4

#2) Hormonal Support

Technically, vitamin D is a hormone - one that regulates serum calcium concentration and immune function.

As a key hormone, vitamin D impacts the production and bioactivity of other key hormones, such as mood-related neurotransmitters (serotonin, dopamine, etc.) and testosterone. ⁵;This may help explain the well-known emotional benefits of supplementing vitamin D, as well as why it’s often found in male health T-booster supplements.

#3) Skin and Bone Care

Functioning as a hormone and a steroid, vitamin D seems to also possess anti-inflammatory benefits for the skin, providing some potential relief for inflammation-related skin issues, while also assisting with skin cell turnover to lessen the accumulation of dead cells on the skin surface.

Fish liver oils are a natural source of vitamin D, especially found in fatty, oily fish such as salmon.

And, as already noted, vitamin D regulates the absorption and availability of calcium, which plays a key role in bone integrity and strength. For strong bones and a sexy complexion, make sure you’re getting enough daily vitamin D!

Vitamin D3: Dosage Notes

The Recommended Daily Allowance for vitamin D is 600 IU (international units). However, upwards of 1000 to 2000 IU per day is also viewed as generally safe and effective for elevating one’s overall vitamin D status. By age, the daily vitamin D recommendations are:

• 6-11 months: 400 IU

• 1-70 years: 600 IU

• 71 years and older: 800 IU

• Pregnancy: 600 IU

Orange juice, along with milk and dairy products, is often fortified with vitamin D, making it a common source of this nutrient.

In some cases, up to 4000 IU vitamin D may be temporarily warranted, though it’s typically not recommended to supplement more than this, as there are side effect consequences to consuming too much vitamin D (e.g., headache, appetite loss, dry mouth, metallic taste, nausea, vomiting, and more).

Best Vitamin D3 Supplement: NutriGenesis®

Okay, so vitamin D3 outperforms vitamin D2, but are there different types of vitamin D3 supplements to look for? Generally, so long as you’re getting enough vitamin D3, that’s what matters most… but if you’re looking for the best of the best, the best vitamin D3 supplement comes from NutriGenesis® Vitamins and Minerals.

Complexed with natural cofactors, such as probiotics, fibers, enzymes, and antioxidants, NutriGenesis® micronutrients, including NutriGenesis® Vitamin D3+, are specially primed to possess enhanced bioavailability for greater overall efficacy.

As found in Performance Lab® NutriGenesis® Multi for Men and Multi for Women, NutriGenesis®’s nature-identical vitamins and minerals are easier to absorb and, thus, easier on the gut, devoid of the typical gastric issues associated with cheap, ineffective multivitamin stacks.

Learn More About Performance Lab® NutriGenesis® Multi for Men Here

Conclusion

In a fight between vitamin D2 and vitamin D3, the clear winner is vitamin D3. However, this only answers one of the many questions involved in the discussion on ideal vitamin and mineral forms that, if one were so inclined, could lead to hours and hours of research before settling on an ideal all-in-one multivitamin stack.

Fortunately, Performance Lab® NutriGenesis® Multi has put that issue to rest by formulating a comprehensive multivitamin stack filled only with the best vitamin and mineral forms, from vitamin D3 to zinc to magnesium, etc., etc.

Precisely calibrated to restore all your essential micronutrient levels, Performance Lab® supplies all the best vitamins and minerals for your health and fitness in the cleanest, greenest, eco-friendliest formulas—no synthetics, no ineffective forms.