Roll Call

Vitamin D3

Varies by source

Appears in 2 scanned products.

Talk to your doctor or pharmacist.

Roll Call does not check drug interactions or assess personal safety.

Vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol) is the form of vitamin D the skin makes from sunlight and the form most common in supplements.

Why it’s used

Taken to raise or maintain blood vitamin D, especially where sun exposure or dietary intake is low.

What the evidence is for

raising serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D and correcting deficiency.

What the evidence says

Vitamin D3 reliably raises serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D, and in people who are deficient it prevents rickets and osteomalacia. In adults who are not deficient, clinical trials have not shown that supplementation reliably reduces fractures.

Dose studied

15–100 mcg — adult RDA (15–20 mcg/day) up to the tolerable upper intake level (100 mcg/day), per NIH ODS.

Context

Deficiency is the setting where benefit is clearest. The adult RDA is 15 mcg (600 IU) for ages 19–70 and 20 mcg (800 IU) over 70; the tolerable upper intake level is 100 mcg (4,000 IU) per day.

Educational information, not medical or safety advice. Consult a professional for allergies or medical concerns.