What Good Is Vitamin D?

Lots of good, we just don’t really know exactly how it works.
Vitamin D seems to keep your blood pressure low,
reduce inflammation and give the immune system a boost --
all beneficial for keeping your heart health and (maybe) even fighting off cancer.

We do know that vitamin D is essential for good bone health -–
it helps your bones absorb calcium (and calcium is what bones are made of). Kids without exposure to vitamin D can develop rickets (a disease where their legs become extremely bow-legged) and older adults with vitamin D deficiencies may develop bone diseases.

Types of Vitamin D

Two major forms of vitamin D are vitamin D2 and vitamin D3.
Vitamin D2 is also called ergocalciferol and vitamin D3’s other name is cholecalciferol. When you look at supplements, most seem to focus on vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol) and you’ll see that listed as the ingredient. Read below for more on vitamin D supplementation.