The Supp Digest | Are you doubling up on vitamin D?
In this issue of the Digest, we’re diving into the data on how the SuppCo community is using vitamin D. From popular products, vitamin D subtypes, to a few watchouts, our community data is here to help us make sense of supplements together.
Vitamin D & The Body
Vitamin D has long been considered an essential supplement, playing a key role in helping the body absorb calcium and phosphorus, two minerals essential for building and maintaining strong bones.
Recent research suggests an even deeper role of vitamin D across the body, with connections to immune function, mood, cardiovascular health.
Vitamin D Deficiency
Data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys suggest that up to 22% of Americans have moderate vitamin D deficiency, and as high as 40% may have vitamin D insufficiency.
The data collected from the national survey indicates a few factors associated with higher risk of vitamin D deficiency:
Sex: women are more likely to have low serum vitamin D levels compared to men
Season: vitamin D levels tend to drop in the winter months due to less time spent outside in the sun
Age: 20-29 year olds had the highest prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in the over 71,000 subjects studied. Researchers attributed this to younger Americans being less likely to use vitamin D supplements than older Americans.
How the SuppCo Community Supplements
Vitamin D is one of the most stacked nutrients across the SuppCo community, appearing in 60% of SuppCo user stacks.
There are three predominant product types that SuppCo users rely on for vitamin D: multivitamins, standalone vitamin D products, and vitamin D + vitamin K2 combination products.
52% of SuppCo users taking vitamin D do so through a multivitamin
31% get their vitamin D through a standalone (single-ingredient) vitamin D product
43% use a vitamin D3 + K2 product
Now if you’re doing the math and noting that those numbers sum to more than 100%, you’re right. What we see clearly in the data is that many SuppCo users are getting vitamin D from two sources. 25% of SuppCo users taking vitamin D are getting it from both a multivitamin and another vitamin D (standalone or d3+k2) product.
While vitamin D toxicity (too much vitamin D in the body) is relatively rare, it can happen and the side effects can be serious, so knowing how much vitamin D you’re taking across products is important.
The National Institutes for Health recommends a daily upper limit for vitamin D of 100 mcg (4,000 IU). If you take vitamin D from multiple products, it’s worth checking your vitamin D totals in the Nutrients section of your stack.
Vitamin D Types: D2 or D3?
When it comes to the sub-types of vitamin D, there’s no question which dominates SuppCo user stacks. Vitamin D3, also known as cholecalciferol, is the clear winner. Of SuppCo users with vitamin D in their stacks, 97% take vitamin D3 while just 3% supplement with vitamin D2.
The focus on vitamin D3 is well supported by research, which has shown that D3 is more effective at raising and maintaining blood levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D (the biomarker used to measure vitamin D status).
Popular Products
Here are the top 3 most popular standalone vitamin D and combination vitamin D3 + K2 supplements among SuppCo user stacks right now:
Standalone Vitamin D Products
Vitamin D3 + K2 Products
Ask the SuppCo Community
Do you have vitamin D questions you want to ask the SuppCo community directly? Comment on this article with your questions or explore ongoing conversations happening in our Community section.
That's all for this week's Digest. Stay tuned for our next newsletter where we'll dive into more SuppCo community insights.
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