Vitamin D

What is Vitamin D3? Vitamin D3, scientifically known as cholecalciferol, is a fat-soluble vitamin. Unlike most vitamins, it can be produced by the human body following suitable exposure to sunlight. However, vitamin D production varies considerably according to: Season and geographical location Time spent outdoors Clothing and sun-protection practices Skin pigmentation Age Cloud cover and air pollution The amount of skin exposed to sunlight Only a relatively small number of foods naturally contain meaningful vitamin D. These include fatty fish, fish-liver oils and, in smaller quantities, egg yolks and liver. Some mushrooms contain vitamin D2, particularly after ultraviolet exposure. NIH Office of Dietary Supplements What makes Vitamin D3 vegan? Historically, supplemental vitamin D3 has usually been produced from lanolin, the waxy substance found in sheep’s wool. Lanolin is purified to obtain a cholesterol-related precursor called 7-dehydrocholesterol. This is exposed to ultraviolet light to produce cholecalciferol. Modern ingredient technology has made it possible to obtain vitamin D3 without using an animal-derived starting material. Vegan vitamin D3 is commonly sourced from selected lichen and then carefully purified and standardised. Lichen is not simply a plant. It is a naturally occurring partnership—usually between a fungus and an alga or cyanobacterium—that can survive on rocks, trees and other surfaces in demanding environments. Certain lichen-derived ingredients provide an animal-free route to vitamin D3. The result is still cholecalciferol—the same D3 form recognised and used by the body. The principal difference is its origin, rather than its fundamental vitamin identity