Vitamin D3 for Vegans

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More suppliers of Vegan Vitamin D - Dec 2019

Amazon had >500 Vegan D3 supplements
Amazon had >100 Lichen D3 supplements

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Vegans more likely to have <10 ng of Vitamin D - Spain Feb 2024

Bone Remodelling, Vitamin D Status, and Lifestyle Factors in Spanish Vegans, Lacto-Ovo Vegetarians, and Omnivores
Nutrients. 2024 Feb 2;16(3):448. doi: 10.3390/nu16030448.
Elena García-Maldonado 1, Angélica Gallego-Narbón 1 2, Belén Zapatera 1, Alexandra Alcorta 1, Miriam Martínez-Suárez 1, M Pilar Vaquero 1

Sustainable healthy diets are promoted, and consequently vegetarian diets are currently increasing. However, scientific information on their effects on bone health is scarce. A cross-sectional study was performed in adults (66% women) classified into three groups: omnivores (n = 93), lacto-ovo vegetarians (n = 96), and vegans (n = 112). Nutrient intake, body composition, physical activity, vitamin D status (25-hydroxycholecalciferol, 25-OHD), parathormone (PTH), and bone formation (bone alkaline phosphatase, BAP) and resorption (N-telopeptides of type I collagen, NTx) markers were determined. Lacto-ovo vegetarians and especially vegans showed lower protein, fat, calcium, phosphorous, vitamin D, retinol, iodine, and zinc intakes, and higher carbohydrate, fibre, carotenes, magnesium, and vitamin K intakes compared to omnivores. Body composition was similar in the three groups that performed vigorous physical activity regularly. Body bone mass and muscle mass were positively correlated with BAP, and time performing physical activity with 25-OHD. The prevalence of vitamin D deficiency or insufficiency (25-OHD < 75 nmol/L) was 93.7% in the studied population, and vitamin D deficiency (25-OHD < 25 nmol/L) was significantly higher in vegans. Vegetarians of both groups had increased PTH and NTx with vegans showing significantly higher PTH and NTx than omnivores. Conclusion: Adult vegetarians, especially vegans, should reduce the risk of bone loss by appropriate diet planning and vitamin D supplementation.
 Download the PDF from VitaminDWiki

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From Low Cost vitamin D - including liquid and bulk Oct 30, 2011

Vegan form of Vitamin D3 - made from Lichen

Vitashine
They developed a process to make a Vitamin D3 spray from Lichen and coconut oil
Can be sprayed into the mouth or onto food (vegetables of course)
The vitamin D3 spray they sell it is somewhat expensive
1 spray = 200 IU, 150 sprays per bottle or 30,000 IU per bottle
3 bottles in US$ for $38.85 which includes delivery
The cost is $0.43 per 1000 IU
The lowest cost by non vegan suppliers is less than 1 cent per 1,000 IU
So, their Lichen spray is about 43X more expensive than the capsule form from sheep (it apparently costs the company 1000X as much the Vegan form)
As of October 2011 they appear to be the only registered supplier of Vegan D3, but I anticipate competition

Q /A with the company Nov 1, 2011

1. Where do your lichen live - in the ocean?, in an aquarium?, ....
   No, they live on land and grow wildly in many areas.
   We obtain our strain from various mountainous regions in Asia and USA (designated areas, not taking from open land – i.e. not taking food from wildlife for instance).
   We can’t divulge the exact strain, again for confidentiality reasons.
2. Are the lichen totally under the water, totally in the air, or some mix?
   Totally in the air.
3. Do you add extra UV (pot growers and many others have found the UV helps a lot)
   This is the important bit.
   Altitude is absolutely key to ensure the right balance between UV exposure and surviving the elements (temperature, nutrients etc.).
4. How long do the lichen take to grow to be harvestable? days, months, years,
   Lichens take a long time to grow, and of course with possible seasonal variations with temperature and UV levels, we work with multiple growing sites.
   This allows us to not only ensure we achieve a good yield based on the season but also cope with the slow growing rate.
5. What % by weight is the vitamin D3 (and, if you should happen to have it, what the % is for D3 from wool)
   It takes around 500kg of dry lichen material to obtain 1kg of our extracted Vitamin D3 rich oil.
   The level of D3 in that oil varies from batch to batch so we of course dose Vitashine accordingly.
   The process for wool D3 is very different and they simply sell high D3 quantity materials, standardised to specified levels.

There is quite a lot of information here: http://vitashine-d3.com/vitashine.html
Attached to the bottom of this page is Sept 2001 paper on Lichens and Vitamin D

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Vitamin D3 and many co-factors from marine algae

Google Shopping "vitamin code raw calcium"   Made by Garden of Life
75 capsules for $18 + shipping: approximately 30 cents per capsule, 5 capsules per serving, so $1.50 per serving
Capsules made from plant sources
1,600 IU of vitamin D3, 756 mg Calcium, 100 mcg of Vitamin K2, 356 mg of Magnesium, 3 mg Boron, 2.2mg Silicon, 3.8 mg Strontium
Price per 1,000 IU is about $1.00 - VERY expensive

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Be careful to avoid multivitamins which contain Vitamin D2

These are mainly vegan vitamin D - it was not until mid 2011 that a vegan D3 became available from two suppliers (and much more expensive)
It appears that vitamin D2 may actually DECREASE vitamin D3 in the body

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Global Health Trax added July 2012

Made by Vetashine - at top of this page. Sprays and gel caps - 5000 IU

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Vegan topical patch added Oct 2014 (expensive)

Vitamin D3 5000IU Sunshine Patches Topical 32 day supply, Amazon $22
Vitamin D 5,000 IU is Vegan Plant-Derived (wild lichen ?)
+250mg Magnesium +120 mcg of Vitamin K2 (MK-7)
Comment by VitaminDWiki: Unaware of any data, but it appears that all three can be absorbed thru the skin.

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See also VitaminDWiki

• People allergic to Lanolin should not be allergic to vegan Vitamin D
• Get active vitamin D by eating Solanum Glaucophyllum leaves – Sept 2013 active Vitamin D3 from a plant
• Low Cost vitamin D - including liquid, bulk, spray, Kosher, . .
• Various plants have vitamin D3 and D2 – review May 2013
• All items in category Forms of Vitamin D 113 items
• Perhaps wool allergy is the cause of some Vitamin D allergy

See also web

• UK review of D3 for vegetarians or vegans Jan 2012 mostly sheep-wool based products
• Vitamin D: Is supplementation a non-negotiable? at Happy Cow Veggie Blog July 2012
• Vegan form of Omega-3 announced June 2015
• UVB exposure stimulates production of vitamin D3 in selected microalgae - Nov 2021 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.algal.2021.102472
• Lichens and the Meaning of Life March 2023 - nothing about vitamin D

short URL = http://is.gd/VeganD3