Vitamin D3 Cholecalciferol
TopForm products that contain Vitamin D3 Cholecalciferol| Name | Amount Per Serving | Daily Value % |
| Men's Multivitamin | 400iu (Vitamin D Cholecalciferol) | 100% |
| Women's Multivitamin | 400iu (Vitamin D Cholecalciferol) | 100% |
| Prenatal Chocolate | 400iu (Vitamin D Cholecalciferol) | 100% |
| Meal Replacement | 200iu (Vitamin D Cholecalciferol) | 50% |
| Calcium | 200iu (Vitamin D Cholecalciferol) | 50% |
Click to see known causes of Vitamin D3 Cholecalciferol Deficiency.
Vitamin D is a fat soluble vitamin which comes into the body primarily through the sun’s rays. There are very few natural food sources of Vitamin D. Vitamin D is broken into two parts—Vitamin D2 Ergocalciferol and Vitamin D3 Cholecalciferol. While many have thought the two parts of Vitamin D are basically interchangeable for many years, newer research indicates that they are quite different. Vitamin D is responsible for the strength and health of the bones in the body. A lack of Vitamin D will lead to improper bone development. There are other vital roles which Vitamin D plays. Modulation of neuromuscular and immune function and reduction of inflammation; the encoding of proteins which regulate cell proliferation, differentiation, and apoptosis; and the regulations of some cell receptors are all roles which Vitamin D helps to maintain in the body.
Sources of Vitamin D3 Cholecalciferol
There are very few foods which contain high levels of Vitamin D3 Cholecalciferol. The body gets most of the vitamin from absorbing it from the sun through the skin. Many foods have been fortified with Vitamin D3 Cholecalciferol. Milk is an excellent example of a food which has been fortified with 100 IU/cup of Vitamin D2. Other foods which are fortified with Vitamin D3 Cholecalciferol include: orange juice, yogurt, butter, margarine, and ready to eat cereals. There are some sources of Vitamin D3 Cholecalciferol which a person can get naturally. These sources include: salmon, cod liver oil, tuna fish, mackerel, sardines, beef liver, egg, swiss cheese, and mushrooms that have been exposed to ultra violet light. Fish and liver have high levels of Vitamin D3 Cholecalciferol, and are the best natural sources for someone looking to naturally supplement their diets with Vitamin D3 Cholecalciferol.
Exposure from the Sun
The majority of the people in the world are able to get sufficient levels of Vitamin D through the sun’s rays. Yet, there are factors which will influence how much a person can get their Vitamin D from the sun. These factors include: season of the year, geographical latitude, time of day, cloud cover, smog, skin melanin content, and use of certain types of sunscreens. As a person goes North and South from the equator, the time of year a person can get sufficient levels of Vitamin D from the sun decreases.
It is hard to provide a guideline for sufficient sun exposure due to damage which occurs to the skin due to overexposure depending on the location of a person, body conditions, and time of year. A general rule is that 5-30 minutes of exposure to the face, arms, legs, or back, without sunscreen, twice a week between 10 AM and 3 PM is sufficient. Yet, again these recommendations are general and will differ depending on area conditions and life style.
It is not recommended that a person try to get their sufficient levels of Vitamin D by using a tanning bed or other artificial light means. Research has shown that these artificial methods normally cause more damage than good.
Why is Vitamin D3 Cholecalciferol Essential?
For many years it was thought that Vitamin D3 Cholecalciferol and Vitamin D2 Ergocalciferol were interchangeable. This was because of testing done over 70 years ago on infants for the prevention of rickets. Newer research shows that Vitamin D3 Cholecalciferol has a longer shelf life in food products, and also is easier for the body to use to get proper health benefits of Vitamin D.
Vitamin D3 Cholecalciferol is very important for the absorption of calcium in the gut of the body. Vitamin D3 Cholecalciferol will help the body to use calcium to improve the health of bones in the body. This will help to prevent and treat diseases such as Osteoporosis, a disease which is currently affecting over 25 million adults in the United States.
There is some data which shows that Vitamin D plays an important role in the prevention of certain types of cancer (colon, prostate, and breast cancers). There is no strong data supporting these claims as of yet, but there are some studies which seem to be indicating these results. There is also some new data which suggests that Vitamin D might play a role in the prevention of other diseases such as: type 1 diabetes, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, glucose intolerance, multiple sclerosis, and other medical conditions.
How to Get Enough Vitamin D3 Cholecalciferol
The majority of Vitamin D3 Cholecalciferol comes from the absorption from the sun’s rays. The chemical reaction in the skin will provide the body with the valuable Vitamin D3 Cholecalciferol that is needs. Yet, there have been a rising number of people lacking the proper exposure to the sun to produce enough Vitamin D3 Cholecalciferol. Unlike other vitamins and minerals it is difficult to get enough Vitamin D3 Cholecalciferol through proper dieting. There are very few foods with are high in Vitamin D3 Cholecalciferol. The body does do a good job of storing Vitamin D3 Cholecalciferol in comparison to other vitamins and minerals because it is a fat soluble vitamin. This means the body can store excess of Vitamin D3 Cholecalciferol, but it also means that toxicity for Vitamin D3 Cholecalciferol is a much greater concern as well. The best way to ensure a person is getting enough Vitamin D3 Cholecalciferol, but not too much is by taking a good daily multivitamin from a reputable vitamin provider. A good daily multivitamin will have sufficient levels of essential vitamin and minerals without adding excessive amounts of fat soluble vitamins to a diet.
While dietary supplements do provide many of the vitamins and minerals essential to the human body, dietary supplement cannot replace a healthy diet.
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