Vitamin D, also known as the sunshine vitamin, has become nothing short of a celebrity over the past few years. In fact, you would be hard pressed to find any doctor, pharmacist, or other healthcare practitioner who hasn't heard of all the health benefits it has to offer. From its role in making strong, healthy bones to improving heart health to decreasing the risk of cancer it seems as though there's nothing vitamin D can't touch.
This brings to mind several questions. Is vitamin D the new miracle pill, or is it simply a passing fad benefiting the bottom line of those with clever marketing skills selling supplements? And if vitamin D is really as prolific as they say it is then does everyone need to take it or just a particular segment of the population? How much is too little? Too much? Is it better to get vitamin D in the form of a pill or from the sun?
I hope to answer these questions and more as I sort through the vitamin D maze of confusion to offer practical, reliable, and evidenced-based information on exactly what you need to know about this new superstar of the supplement world.
What Is Vitamin D And How Does It Work?
Vitamin D is not a vitamin at all but rather a prohormone produced when the skin gets adequate amounts of exposure to ultraviolet B (UVB) rays from the sun [1]. The vitamin D produced by our skin is called vitamin D₃ or cholecalciferol [2]. Cholecalciferol is transported from our skin to the liver where it's metabolized into calcidiol, also known as 25(OH)D. Think of calcidiol as the storage form of vitamin D in our body, much the same way that a large amount of propane acts as the storage form of fuel inside a large holding tank ready and waiting to run various appliances inside a person's home. The propane cannot be used when stored inside the tank but without this supply a person cannot run the appliances located in their home when they need to. Calcidiol is the same, it needs to be converted into a usable form in order to be utilized by our body.
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