Taking care of ourselves is always a top priority – but in the world we live in today, that isn’t always easy. The body demands a number of different vitamins and minerals to perform at its best, and we need it to do so to keep up with our hectic daily lives.

Supplements and healthier lifestyles are always being sought out today – and vitamin D is almost always recommended to patients from every walk of life. However, many people going down this path to better health discover that vitamin D3 is recommended to them ever more frequently.

Vitamin D vs vitamin D3 – which is best? Is vitamin D the same as D3? Exploring what works best for your personal health, as well as that of your loved ones, can help you ensure you get the vitamin D you need for a healthy and active lifestyle.

If vitamin D is so important, why is there such confusion?

Understanding what is the difference between vitamin D and vitamin D3 has unfortunately created some degree of confusion in the health-conscious public today. Everyone wants to do the right thing, but to do that, it pays to understand the positive effect that vitamin D and vitamin D have on the body.

Your body needs vitamin D to help absorb and process calcium – which itself is a vital mineral for the body. Calcium helps maintain healthy bones and teeth, yet it also helps the body perform other vital functions – including regulating your heartbeat and nervous system, enabling muscles to contract properly, and enhancing how effective blood clotting is when the body needs to respond to an unexpected wound.

If the function of vitamin D vs vitamin D3 in powering up these bodily functions is so crucial, why is there so much confusion? Why do people often wonder what’s the difference between vitamin D and vitamin D3?

The short answer for those wondering is vitamin D3 the same as vitamin D is that vitamin D3 is simply one of several forms of vitamin D.

Why is vitamin D3 so often recommended, even more so than vitamin D alone? It’s because of how effectively it performs in the bloodstream, and how powerfully vitamin D3 takes effect in supplements and meals compared to vitamin D supplements alone.

Vitamin D3 – also known as cholecalciferol

What is the difference between vitamin D and vitamin D3? The difference is, vitamin D3 is also classified by experts as cholecalciferol – and it works in the body by helping metabolism, mood and healthy bones and teeth in a highly efficient way.

Put simply, many pharmacists, physicians and nutritionists recommend for people to consider vitamin D vs vitamin D3 because vitamin D3 seems to offer many patients the fastest positive results to their health and lifestyle.

Is vitamin D3 the same as vitamin D in terms of what it can do for the body? Absolutely. The key difference is that vitamin D3 simply achieves these results more rapidly.

However, in dietary terms, the difference between vitamin D and D3 is that vitamin D3 is found in animal sources, such as eggs, fish and meat. Therefore, while vitamin D3 has added strength and efficiency getting to work in your body, its dietary sources often mean it doesn’t come recommended for people who uphold a vegetarian or vegan diet.

Meanwhile, a big difference between vitamin D and D3 is that vitamin D alone is found in plant and fungus sources such as mushrooms and yeast.

Vitamin D vs vitamin D3 – what are the sources?

What’s the difference between vitamin D and vitamin D3 when it comes to the sources? Actually, not a lot – it’s only the fact that vitamin D3 is found in animal derived food that makes up the biggest difference.

As we touched on already, that means that those people who prefer to control or restrict eating food and supplements that come from animals and animal byproducts might want to avoid taking over the counter vitamin D3 supplements – and stick to vitamin D or vitamin D2 tablets instead.

However, that doesn’t mean that the great vitamin D vs vitamin D3 debate is rigged in omnivores’ favour. In fact, learning is vitamin D3 the same as vitamin D means learning just how easy it is to welcome this healthy boost into your lifestyle, with the right approach.

Why? Because vitamin D, in all its forms, is created by our bodies in response to ultraviolet light from the sun. It’s a big reason why those of us who have medical conditions that are affected by vitamin D deficiency are encouraged so often to spend time outside by the professionals.

What is the difference between vitamin D and vitamin D3 when it comes from sunlight? Effectively, none – the body reacts just as positively to a healthy amount of sunshine. As always though, it’s always smart to not overdo it.

Sometimes, the climate or time of year doesn’t make it altogether possible to get the level of vitamin D your body needs. Fortunately, it’s also abundant in lots of foodstuffs that make healthy additions to any meal.

Which foods are best for getting vitamin D?

Remember, when considering what’s the difference between vitamin D and vitamin D3, vitamin D3 comes from meals that have animal components within them.

For example, fatty fish dishes are excellent for your health, and certainly contain a huge amount of vitamin D3 as well. Likewise, those of us who enjoy eating liver or eggs as part of our daily diets will find it very easy to introduce more vitamin D3 to our bodies, simply by eating more of what we already enjoy.

If your lifestyle or beliefs prevent you from eating animal meats or derivatives, however, there is still plenty of vitamin D for you to find in natural meals. Mushrooms are an excellent source of vitamin D, and form a huge element of countless vegetarian and vegan dishes today – including the growing number of meat substitutes being made available on the market.

People who are choosing to leave meat behind in their diets are often advised by medical and nutritional experts to ensure they either find plant-based food rich in vitamin D and iron, or to ensure they take the relevant supplements to uphold their healthy lifestyles.

Vitamin D vs vitamin D3 supplements – which is best?

Is vitamin D3 the same as vitamin D where supplements are concerned? Broadly speaking, any vitamin D supplements will have a positive effect on your body. It elevates the mood, gives more energy in day to day living, and also helps bones and teeth to stay strong and well developed.

However, vitamin D3 – otherwise known as cholecalciferol – is more proactive and efficient in producing these positive changes in the body. This is why, when experts and physicians recommend for people to take vitamin D supplements, it’s vitamin D3 supplements specifically that top recommendations.

After all, we all want to see results rapidly when we’re embracing a healthier way of life, and that’s a level of efficiency that a commitment to vitamin D3 supplements often will deliver.

However, remember once again that vitamin D3 supplements take their active ingredients from animal derivatives, just as much as vitamin D3 is found in eggs, fatty fish and meat.

That means that many people who prefer to avoid consuming animal derivatives will prefer taking vitamin D or vitamin D2 supplements, reassured by the fact that the benefits their body enjoys come from sources like plants and mushrooms.

For those of us who are conscious of what we eat and keen to avoid animal derivatives, avoiding vitamin D3 is wise. For other people – especially those who want the inner work to move its fastest and most efficiently – vitamin D3 supplements will have appealing positive results within a few weeks of being introduced to your daily routine.

Vitamin D vs vitamin D3? Winners all round

The spotlight has never shone on men’s health as starkly as it has today – and it’s high time men knew that everyone benefits when you put your health first.

From bones and teeth to circulation and daily energy levels, vitamin D is vital to staying strong and in the moment. What is the difference between vitamin D and vitamin D3? It all comes down to your diet, how fast it gets to work in the body and how much time you want to spend outdoors.

‍