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► *Related Videos*
Safely Boost Vitamin D: https://youtu.be/tlhbl_N4gC8
Vitamin D Supplements vs Sunlight: https://youtu.be/1Ul-hYTaQ4I
Disclaimer: This video is for educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Always seek the advice of your physician.
There’s a new meta analysis that showed that certain vitamin D supplements can actually lower your blood levels of specific vitamin D markers, which seems completely counterintuitive, but it is true. Let’s look at the data in more detail, talk about the biochemistry behind it, and if you should continue taking vitamin D supplements. Okay, so the meta analysis is called effect of vitamin D2 supplementation on 25 hydroxy vitamin D3 status. What they looked at were randomized control trials that had already done over the years and they focused on studies where people were given vitamin D2 also known as ergoaliferol. As you probably know there are two main types of vitamin D supplements D2 and D3. Vitamin D2 so agaliferol is found in some mushrooms when they’re exposed to UV light but it can also be commercially made by irritating yeast. Vitamin D3, so choliciferol is the form that our skin makes from sunlight. Supplements are usually made from sheep’s wool, but can also be made from lyken for vegan supplements. In general, vitamin E2 is cheaper to produce and therefore sometimes found a lower quality products. More on that later. So, the researchers compared what happened to people’s blood levels of vitamin D3 after taking vitamin D2 supplements. Now, why does that matter? Because vitamin D in our body isn’t just one simple thing. And these different forms don’t always act the same. The main marker doctors use to check vitamin D status is called 25 hydroxy vitamin D. This is the standard blood test that you get when you ask for it. But this 25 hydroxy vitamin D actually exists as 25 hydroxy vitamin D2 and also 25 hydroxy vitamin D3 depending on which supplement form you’re taking. Obviously, when you take vitamin D2 supplements, your body makes more 25 hydroxy vitamin D2. And when you take D3, your body makes more 25 hydroxy D3. So basically what they found was that people who took vitamin D2 supplements had a significant drop in their blood levels of vitamin D3. Let’s look at the numbers to understand this better. Across their studies, they looked at the people taking D2 had on average about 18 nanomles per liter less vitamin D3 compared to the control groups. If you look at absolute changes from start to finish, the drop was about 9 nanomles per liter. So to quote the paper, study participants who received vitamin D2 supplementation showed statistically significant reductions in serum 25 hydroxy vitamin D3 concentrations compared to controls without supplementation. An inverse relationship between vitamin D2 and D3 concentrations has been proposed in the literature. Of course, those numbers don’t mean much without some context. So imagine your blood vitamin D3 level was 40 before starting the supplement. After taking vitamin D2 for a while, instead of staying at 40 or going up, it could drop down into the low30s. That’s a meaningful reduction, especially if you’re already on the borderline of being deficient. The problem is that you probably would know that because most doctors just test 25 hydroxy vitamin D and don’t distinguish between the D2 and D3 markers. So, your total vitamin D levels will still go up because the supplement was adding more vitamin D on top. But the key takeaway is that D2 seems to push D3 down. So, you get more of one type but less of the other. One theory on why this happened is that vitamin D2 speeds up the breakdown of vitamin D3 in the liver. Both forms are handled by the same enzymes. And if you flood your system with D2, those enzymes might start clearing out D3 faster. Another idea is that D2 and D3 compete for the same binding proteins in the blood. D3 normally binds very strongly to these binding proteins which keeps it stable in circulation. But when you add a lot of D2, then it may crowd out D3 and make it less stable. Whatever the reason, the end result is that supplementing with D2 doesn’t just raise your total vitamin D blood markers. It actually lowers the other D3 form, which is usually considered the more potent and beneficial one. That’s because D3 is roughly 1.7 to three times more potent than D2 and stays longer in circulation. So, it has been the go-to choice for most people that are informed about vitamin D supplements. But D2 is still sometimes found in cheaper supplements or even fortified foods. Great. With this data in front of us, what conclusions can we draw from it? One, vitamin D3 is more reliable. We have known this for years and it isn’t really anything new. The body responds better to it and the supplements raise and sustain blood levels more effectively. On top of that, the data also shows that even though supplementing with D3 also leads to a slight reduction in 25 hydroxy D2 markers, this effect wasn’t as strong as with D2 lowering D3, which is another benefit. So, if you’re buying a supplement, look for vitamin D3 on the label, not D2. But this shouldn’t be news for anyone who’s taking it regularly. Next, vitamin D2 is weaker and less stable. This also isn’t new, but what we know now is that while it raises total vitamin D, it also lowers D3 significantly, which could cancel out some of the benefits. On top of that, D2 breaks down faster and binds less tightly to proteins in the blood. That means its effect wears off more quickly. And three, vegans are not out of options. Traditionally, D3 supplements came from animal sources like sheep’s wool. That’s why D2 was often recommended for vegans, but now there are vegan D3 options made from lychen. So, you don’t have to settle for the weaker form and can still get quality D3. Also, some practitioners have sometimes treated D2 and D3 as interchangeable, but this study clearly shows that that’s not accurate. They’re not equal in the way that they affect your body. And this is a good reminder of that. Awesome. Before I wrap up this video, don’t forget to check out the description for more videos on how to boost your vitamin D levels safely and also other related resources. They will help you if you’re looking for step-by-step systems on topics like diet planning and chronic fatigue recovery and how to avoid the most common mistakes that I see beginners make all the time. For more info, just open the description. It will all be listed
