Vitamin D3 vs. Vitamin D2 | Pacifica Compounding Pharmacy

Around this time of the year, most of us are not too concerned about whether or not we are getting enough vitamin D thanks to getting out in the summer sun. But don’t assume that your levels of the often-undervalued “sunshine vitamin” are good enough to keep you healthy. (1)

What is Vitamin D?

Vitamin D is a fat-soluble nutrient that plays a key role in pretty much all our physiological functions. But technically, it is not a ‘vitamin’. It is instead possibly the most powerful steroid hormone in the body and plays a complex role in protecting over 2,000 genes in the human body from expressing negative traits.

In its active form and at optimal levels, vitamin D may be responsible for helping us prevent many of our modern-day diseases. So, if your family has a genetic predisposition for a disease, you may be able to prevent it by optimizing your levels.

Vitamin D3 vs Vitamin D2

Although there are many forms of vitamin D, the two most common types are vitamin D3 and vitamin D2. The most important differences are:

Vitamin D3 form has the highest absorption (70% more than D2) and is less toxic compared to the more popular vitamin D2.
Vitamin D3 will stay in your fat cells longer and help you get through the winter when you are usually exposed to less sun.
Vitamin D3 is primarily derived from the sun but is also found in cod liver oil and some fatty fish so supplementation is something I always suggest.

Interestingly — Vitamin D2 is still used to fortify foods such as milk and orange juice and is the main pharmaceutical form of vitamin D support. The good news is that many pharmaceutical companies are now switching to vitamin D3. (2)

Vitamin D Deficiency

Vitamin D deficiency disease, also known as rickets, was reported as far back as the 1600s as a bone softening disease. Rickets was originally treated with cod liver oil supplementation in the 1800s but it wasn’t until the 1930s that vitamin D deficiency was discovered as the cause.

Researchers have found that those who live in climates where natural sun exposure was the greatest had less chronic disease. In northern climates, studies show a high percentage of Americans are vitamin D deficient, especially during the winter months. (3) (4) (5)

Vitamin D has also been shown to protect against acute respiratory infections, and older adults, the group most deficient in vitamin D, are also the ones most seriously affected by COVID-19. A previous study found that 75% of people in institutions, such as hospitals and care homes, were severely D deficient. (6)

Symptoms of Vitamin D Deficiency

To understand better how important vitamin D really is, imagine this — D deficiency is considered a major factor in at least 17 varieties of cancer as well as:

heart disease
stroke
hypertension/high blood pressure
autoimmune diseases like multiple sclerosis
diabetes
osteoarthritis
osteoporosis
muscle weakness & wasting
birth defects
periodontal disease
autism
and more.

10 Common Vitamin D Deficiency Symptoms

Getting sick easily or often
General fatigue
Chronic pain (often in your bones)
Depression
Gut issues
Wounds that don’t heal
Bones that break easily
Hair loss
Muscle weakness

And you are at a higher risk for vitamin D deficiency if:

You are older
You have dark/olive skin
You are overweight
You have high muscle mass and low fat
You don’t eat dairy or meat
You live in a polluted city
You have impaired kidneys

How to Optimize Your D Levels

Testing is the only way to know for sure that you are maintaining these levels. It is best to test your levels in the fall when they are the highest and in March when they are the lowest. With those two numbers, you can usually safely calculate your vitamin D supplementation needs.

1) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3356951/

2) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4971338/

3) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3068797/

4) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6075634/

5) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK532266/

6) https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/05/200507131012.htm