By Emma Hardy
E-Commerce Executive
Vitamin D has been receiving a lot of media attention lately - and rightly so. Vitamin D is a fantastic nutrient that contributes to normal functioning of the immune system among other impressive factors, including maintenance of normal teeth and bones, muscle functioning and helping our bodies absorb calcium.
Since our main source of vitamin D comes from the sun which we tend to lack in the UK (especially during the autumn and winter months), supplementation is recommended by many.
However, with so many out there, how do you choose the best vitamin D supplement? Unfortunately, there are a lot of supplements that may not offer the quality your body needs - here’s our musts when choosing a vitamin D supplement.
Vitamin D3 over D2
Vitamin D2 is only available from food and is produced by certain fungi and plants when they are exposed to light. Vitamin D3 is a fat-soluble form of vitamin D and it’s the form that we produce in our skin when exposed to sunlight.
Although we do need both, vitamin D3 has shown to be twice as effective as D2, as outlined by our Senior Nutritionist, Frankie. As a result, we would always recommend choosing a vitamin D3 supplement.
FIND OUT MORE ABOUT VITAMIN D3
Best quality with oil-based preparations
Vitamin D3 can come in many different forms, such as tablets or capsules and more recently, even sprays. We cannot stress enough how important the form of your D3 supplement is when it comes to how much impact it’s actually going to have.
Vitamin D3 is liposoluble, which means it dissolves in oil. Therefore an oil-based formula is best for maximum absorption in the body - and maximum absorption means the highest quality effectiveness when it comes to supplementation.
That’s why our vitamin D3 supplements are dissolved in cold-pressed olive oil and encapsulated in small, easy-to-swallow pearls of soft gelatin to enhance absorption.
Other forms of vitamin D3 such as tablets will not offer you the same quality as an oil capsule. This is because tablets won’t absorb as effectively in the body so it becomes difficult to know how much your body is consuming.
Pharmaceutical over food standards
The way any product is manufactured is always extremely important - but especially so when it comes to supplements and vitamins. Most supplements are manufactured to food standards, which means that there is a higher percentage threshold on how much of a certain nutrient or vitamin the product can contain.
For example, a product made to food standards can contain as little as 80% of what it says on the label, or as high as 150%!
However, all of Pharma Nord supplements are manufactured to pharmaceutical standards and follow the same procedures as the pharmaceuticals and medicines that are produced in our plant.
Pharmaceutical grade supplements only allow a 5% leeway - so the least you’ll get is 95% and the most is 105%. This allows us to provide you with a higher quality product and accurate dosage amount every single time.
85% of Pharma Nord products are also registered as medicines in at least one country. This means they are made to the same standards as the medicines you get from your pharmacist and they go through 32 different quality control checks before they are allowed to leave the factory.
FIND OUT MORE ABOUT VITAMIN D3
Suss out your strength
Vitamin D3 supplements come in a range of strengths so we understand it can be confusing to figure out what is best for you. At Pharma Nord we offer strengths from 400IU all the way up to 5000IU to customers, and even a 20000IU strength for hospitals and pharmacies. We are also looking to launch a 3200IU strength in the UK following its success in the European market.
Where possible we do advise you to take the higher strengths when choosing a vitamin D supplement, however everyone’s circumstances are different. Therefore you may want to seek advice from a professional first to find out what will suit your needs best.
Our Bio-Vitamin D3 supplements are a customer favourite at Pharma Nord and offer one of the highest quality D3 preparations available. Read more about or supplements or please feel free to get in touch with any questions.
Chosen for a groundbreaking clinical trial
Bio-Vitamin D3 has also been chosen for the groundbreaking Coronavit trial! The trial will look at whether supplementing with vitamin D3 can reduce the risk and/or severity of Covid-19 and other acute respiratory infections.
Bio-Vitamin D3 has been chosen due to it's superior preparation and history of use in other noteable clinical trials.
