Vitamin D3
Major Functions
Immunity - Bone health - One of the most common nutrient deficiencies
In every dose
20mcg
(equal to 20 eggs, or 13 tablespoons of fortified margarine*)
(*Ain’t nobody got time for that)
Fighting Talk
Vitamin D could also be beneficial to sufferers of depression, with supplementation resulting in a moderate improvement in depression ratings in a clinical trial of nearly 1,000 participants.
What’s in it for my brain?
It’s thought that vitamin D3 (the biologically active form) reduces harmful amyloid plaques in the brain (high levels of amyloid plaque is associated with Alzheimer’s disease).
Fringe benefits
Teeth
Bones
Muscles
Plays well with
Supports the absorption of calcium from food. Less available on a plant-based diet, so non-meat eaters may consider supplementation.
Clever stuff
Vitamin D comes in two forms; ergocalciferol (vitamin D2) and cholecalciferol (vitamin D3). Vitamin D3 is the biologically active form and it’s the more powerful of the two, increasing blood levels of vitamin D twice as much as D2.
Evidence
Here’s a handful of relevant scientific studies on vitamin D3.
Trang, H. M., Cole, D. E., Rubin, L. A., Pierratos, A., Siu, S., & Vieth, R. (1998). Evidence that vitamin D3 increases serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D more efficiently than does vitamin D2. The American journal of clinical nutrition, 68(4), 854-858.
Allan, G. M., Cranston, L., Lindblad, A., McCormack, J., Kolber, M. R., Garrison, S., & Korownyk, C. (2016). Vitamin D: a narrative review examining the evidence for ten beliefs. Journal of general internal medicine, 31(7), 780-791.
Vellekkatt, F., & Menon, V. (2019). Efficacy of vitamin D supplementation in major depression: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Journal of postgraduate medicine, 65(2), 74.
National Institutes of Health. (2014). Office of Dietary Supplements, Vitamin D Fact Sheet for Health Professionals.
Vaziri, F., Nasiri, S., Tavana, Z., Dabbaghmanesh, M. H., Sharif, F., & Jafari, P. (2016). A randomized controlled trial of vitamin D supplementation on perinatal depression: in Iranian pregnant mothers. BMC pregnancy and childbirth, 16(1), 1-12.