Vitamin D

What are the benefits of vitamin D?

• Low levels can be responsible for causing what we know as “catching a cold”
• Low levels can increase risk of obesity
• Sufficient levels can maintain bone density, it helps with the absorption of calcium
• Sufficient levels can decrease chronic low grade inflammation, which is essentially when the body is in a constant battle and ends up destroying our own tissues. This can contribute to cancer, diabetes, Alzheimer’s, heart disease, depression, acne, and more.

(Adams & Hewison 2010 – Update in Vitamin D; Healthline – Vitamins D2 vs D3; Harvard Health – All About Inflammation; Vranić, Mikolašević, and Milić 2019 – Vitamin D Deficiency)

What is the difference between vitamin D2 and D3?

The main difference is that plants create D2 and animals (like us) create D3.

Vitamin D2 is typically found in what are called fortified foods, which is when there are intentionally added nutrients to combat deficiencies. Fortified foods typically include some milks, cereals, and juices.

Vitamin D3 is found in many animal based foods such as wild fish, liver, butter, and egg yolk.

Vitamin D3 is also created by our skin when we are exposed to the sun, just as D2 is created by plants when they are exposed to the sun.

(Healthline – Vitamins D2 vs D3; Healthline – Fortified Foods)

What is the best way to get vitamin D?

Vitamin D recommendations are difficult to meet with just food, so it is very important to get some exposure to the sun!

It should be noted that the amount of time to spend in the sun will vary depending on skin pigmentation, air quality, weight, age, weather, and distance from the equator.

There is also debate about whether or not sunscreen blocks Vitamin D from being created, so if you do decide to spend time in the sun without it, make sure you are careful to not overdo it. The consequences of not having enough vitamin D are bad but so is skin cancer!

(Schmid & Walther 2013 – Natural Vitamin D Content in Animal Products; Healthline – Vitamins D2 vs D3; Harvard Health – 6 Things You Should Know About Vitamin D)