Best vitamin D supplements

The best vitamin D supplements can give your mood a boost through the colder months where sunshine is harder to come by. Colloquially known as the ‘sunshine vitamin’, our bodies produce vitamin D when our skin is exposed to sunlight. People living in the northern hemisphere are encouraged to take a Vitamin D supplement from October to March in order to sustain the body’s levels through the shorter days.

Vitamin D is one of the most common vitamin deficiencies. Although there are some dietary sources of vitamin D, most people living in colder climates will struggle to produce enough through the winter months and may begin to struggle with symptoms like low mood. 

Taking one of the best vitamin D supplements can improve these symptoms and prevent secondary issues caused by vitamin D deficiency, such as bone loss and heart disease, as Vitamin D aids in the absorption of calcium and phosphorus. Vitamin D is also vital for the maintenance of a healthy immune system, so a good vitamin D supplement can help you keep winter colds at bay.

Whether you take your supplement as a tablet, a capsule, or a drop, we’ve put these vitamin D supplements to the test, noting whether they’re suitable for vegans, any aftertaste and how easy they are to swallow. 

What strength should your vitamin D supplement be?

Vitamin D is a fat soluble vitamin that we need in varying amounts throughout our lives. The National Institutes of Health recommends getting at least 600 IU/15 mcg of vitamin D per day from the age of one, and even more (800 IU/20 mcg) for those over the age of 70 who might experience age related bone loss. Those with darker skin may also need slightly more, as the more melanin you have in your skin (the amino acid responsible for skin, hair and eye pigmentation) the harder it is for the body to produce vitamin D from the sun.

You should also be careful not to take too much, as consistently taking more than the recommended dosage of vitamin D can cause calcium to build up in your body, which is known as hypercalcaemia. Hypercalcaemia can lead to kidney and heart damage and can weaken the bones. However, you would need to be taking a lot – around 60,000 IU – to cause this level of toxicity. Sticking to the recommended dosage is always wise, but if you think you might need more, or are at risk of vitamin D deficiency, speak to your medical professional.  

There are two forms of vitamin D found in foods and supplements:

• Vitamin D2 (ergocalciferol)
• Vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol)

D3 is the most bioavailable, increasing vitamin D levels almost twice as much as D2. When testing these vitamin D supplements, we opted for D3 sources over D2 in most cases.  

Best vitamin D supplements

Ancient Nutrition is a relatively new supplement brand that creates products based on the principles of Ayurveda and Traditional Chinese Herbalism, in combination with modern science. Its vitamin D capsules come in a sleek black pot (inside a box) with yellow and white accents.

Ancient Nutrition vitamin D has 60 capsules, each of which contain 5,000 IU (125 mcg) of vitamin D, as well as 3,000 IU (90 mcg) of vitamin K, which is 625% and 75% of your daily recommended intake, respectively. It also contains the brand’s ‘TCM (Traditional Chinese Method) blend’, which aims to “bring a holistic approach to your daily vitamin D supplement” in order to “support the body as a complete system rather than separate organs, a larger concept down as ‘QI’”. This blend uses a combination of bovine liver, organic astragalus extract, beef bone broth, chicken bone broth, organic schisandra berry extract and more. The brand claims its product is formulated for “real food, Paleo and keto enthusiasts”, although it is obviously not suitable for vegetarians or vegans because of the ingredients used in the TCM blend.

At $29.95 for 60 capsules, this isn’t the cheapest option in our round-up. However, the capsules are tasteless and easy to swallow (despite being on the larger side). Plus, if you’re interested in adding TCM to your diet, and require a higher dose of vitamin D, you might want to give them a try.

NOW Foods is a respected, family-owned company that has been operating in the US since 1968. Its mission has been “to provide value in products that empower healthier lives”. Its chewable vitamin D tablets come in a white pot, with a purple and orange label.

Each chewable contains 1,000 IU of vitamin D3, which is 125% of your daily value. However, if 1,000 IU isn’t sufficient for you, the product is available in 5,000 IU potency as well, although do note that this is in mint flavor, rather than natural fruit.

Obviously a draw of Now Foods chewable vitamin D is that you don’t need to swallow any capsules, making this an ideal supplement for people who don’t like taking medication. At around $11 for 180 tablets, this is a really good value option too. Plus, the tablets are absolutely tiny, so you can chew one up in no time.

Whilst Now Foods vitamin D is dairy free, egg free, halal, josher, nut free, soy free and made without gluten, they are not suitable for vegans because the D3 is derived from sheep’s wool (lanolin). 

Thorne is a trusted supplement company whose ambition is to “empower individuals for longer through personalized scientific testing and solutions”. Its vitamin D and K2 liquid supplement comes in a small brown bottle with white, gold and black accents on the label. 

Each bottle contains 600 servings, with two drops providing 1,000 IU vitamin D3 and 200 mcg of vitamin K2 – that’s 125% and 167% of your recommended daily value, respectively. According to Thorne, “combining vitamins D and K can provide greater support of the immune and cardiovascular systems than each offers separately”. It also claims the supplement “supports healthy bones and muscles, as well as the cardiovascular system and immune systems”. 

Because this is a liquid supplement, you can drip it straight onto a spoon, into your mouth, or put it into drinks or on your food. It’s ideal for those who can’t or dislike swallowing tablets. The dropper is a slightly unusual design, so can take a bit of getting used to using.

At around $23.40 per bottle, this product might not appear the most affordable. However, if you use two drops per day it will last you around 20 months, making this good value for money. 

You might be surprised to learn that many of the best vitamin D supplements are not suitable for vegans. This is because they rely on animal-based sources of vitamin D3 such as the skin of fatty fish or lanolin from sheep’s wool. Whilst some plants and fortified plant-based foods contain small amounts of vitamin D, this tends to be D2. Research suggests that vitamin D3 is more important for supporting healthy levels of vitamin D.

Luckily, supplement brand HUM Nutrition has formulated a fully-vegan dietary supplement that provides 2,000 IU of vitamin D3 – that’s 250% of your daily value. Its Here Comes The Sun supplement uses lichen, an algae-fungal hybrid microorganism that grows on trees and stones. This is the only plant that contains vitamin D in its most available form – vitamin D3. 

Each pot contains 30 vegan softgels, and comes with a bright yellow label on a black bottle. Bear in mind that because Here Comes The Sun contains 2,000 IU of vitamin D, you may want to be careful if you’re taking them in combination with a standard multivitamin. Some of these can contain similar levels of vitamin D, which may push you near to the upper limit of 4,000 IU per day.

HUM Nutrition prides itself on producing mostly vegetarian products, and “in cases where there is a lack of a plant based alternative, [they] work actively with [their] suppliers on developing one”. All of its products are made in facilities that are certified to follow GMPs (Good Manufacturing Processes), required by the FDA. They are also gluten-free and non-GMO.

At $12 for a month’s supply, these aren’t the cheapest vitamin D supplements, but they’re certainly not the most expensive either. And given the quality of the ingredients – plus the fact that they’re suitable for vegans – they seem a good deal.

Pregnant women may require higher doses of some vitamins, including vitamin D, from conception or early pregnancy. This is because, according to Cochrane findings, evidence shows that vitamin D supplementation probably reduces common risks associated with pregnancy, including pre-eclampsia and gestational diabetes, and may reduce the risk of having a low-birthweight baby or bleeding after birth. 

Ritual is a popular supplement brand that promises to bring you ethical, vegan vitamins with traceable ingredients. Its Prenatal Multivitamin comes in clear, minimalistic packaging and the capsules themselves have little gold ‘beadlets’ and visible liquid.

Two capsules contain an impressive 2,000 IU of vitamin D, as well as a host of other nutrients to support a healthy and happy pregnancy, including folate, omega-3 DHA, vitamin B12, iodine, iron and magnesium. So if you’re a mum-to-be who doesn’t want to have to take a load of different supplements, this is a great option for you. The capsules are also essenced with lemon, by use of a citrus tab in every bottle. This helps to keep things fresh, and ensures no weird taste that some capsules can have. 

As well as the Prenatal Multivitamin, Ritual sells a standard women’s multivitamin that also contains a host of ingredients to support your mind and body – including vitamin D.

At $35 per pot (lasting you one month) these are not the cheapest vitamin D supplement, but they contain high quality ingredients and you’re getting a variety of nutrients for your money.

Double Wood Supplements was founded by two brothers in 2013, and has since expanded its product range to include “a wide range of niche supplements intended for brain health, anti-aging, immune support and more”. Each of its products is supported with third party testing, and the brand claims to settle for “nothing less than the best quality” at “an affordable price”. 

Its Vitamin D3 + K2 Liquid Drops are perhaps one of the lesser “niche supplements” they offer, and come in a small brown bottle with the brand’s green and neutral toned label. 

One drop (1 ml) of the product contains 5,000 IU of vitamin D (625% of your daily value) and 200 mcg of vitamin K2 (167% of your daily value), making this a great product for those who require a higher dose of vitamin D.

The brand also claims to use the “all-trans version of K2 (K2 Vital)” which they say is “much more effective than the cheaper cis-K2 variety” as well as “an MCT oil base providing plenty of fat for proper absorption”. This means that it is not necessary to take the product with food. However, we found it much easier to add 1 ml to our morning oatmeal or hot drink, rather than load it onto a spoon or straight into our mouth. It’s fairly tasteless, but it does have a hint of tartness to it, so we found this a more pleasant way to integrate it into our supplement routine.

How we tested

Each of the products included in this guide was tested by the Fit&Well team. Supplements will affect each and every person slightly differently so we’ve been using these vitamins to give you a better idea of what they contain, and anything you need to be aware of before taking them. Below are the criteria we tested each product for. 

Ingredients

It’s super important to us that you know exactly what we tested and why and our first starting point is always to find out exactly what ingredients are in a vitamin D supplement, especially if it’s a multivitamin. We then compare this against your daily recommended dosage and decipher whether you can get enough vitamin D from these supplements. 

Recommended dosage

We made sure to note how much of each supplement you are required to take and how much often. This gave us a clear indication of whether a product offered good value for money or not.

Suitability 

Not all vitamins and supplements will be suitable for everyone which is why we take note of whether a vitamin D supplement is suitable for vegans or have gluten-free diets. 

Cost and value for money 

Getting the nutrients you need shouldn’t have to cost any more than necessary so we compared pricing across all the vitamin D supplements we tested to see whether the more expensive capsules were worth the money and if the cheaper supplements still contain everything you need.  

Easiness to swallow & taste

For some, taking capsules or tablets can be very challenging so we test each and every vitamin D supplement by taking them ourselves and observing how easy they are to swallow. Some supplements are dissolvable on your tongue so we time how long this process takes.

The taste, while subjective, is another important factor we test. We try each capsule and note down whether they taste like the intended flavor or anything else you may need to know about after tastes too.

Features

When we test vitamin D supplements, we note anything that makes one supplement stand out over the others. We ask if any of the supplements claim to do something that others don’t, and we also consider the overall aesthetics of the product.

FAQs