Designs for Health D3 Supreme 240Caps

Vitamin D is a fat-soluble secosteroid hormone that can be found in three main forms – vitamin D (calcitriol), vitamin D2 (ergocalciferol), and vitamin D3 (colecalciferol). Calcitriol is endogenously produced in the body via ultraviolet B exposure to the epidermis. Ergocalciferol is the synthetic form of vitamin D and is most commonly added to food. Colecalciferol is synthesised in the skin from 7-dehydrocholesterol and is also found in a limited range of food sources, such as shiitake mushrooms and oily fish.

Vitamin D is required for a vast number of biological processes. Due to a number of disease states having low vitamin D status in common, serum vitamin D as 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) is often routinely tested. Vitamin D supplementation is suggested in those with a clinical vitamin D deficiency. Variations in vitamin D status are heavily dependent upon a number of factors, including sex, season, location, age, health conditions, and lifestyle.

One of Vitamin D's main functions is maintaining calcium levels in the body. When calcium levels are low, Vitamin D is activated. Vitamin D enhances the small intestine's ability to absorb calcium (and phosphorus) from dietary sources. It also triggers the release of calcium stored in bones and reduces calcium excretion from the kidneys.

Calcium absorption occurs mostly in the duodenum and jejunum, and phosphorus absorption in the jejunum and ileum. In the presence of vitamin D, calcium absorption goes from 10-15% to 30-40%. Phosphorus absorption increases from 60% to 80%.