Vitamin D3 2000 IU Softgels

Nature Made Vitamin D3 2000 IU is about as simple as a supplement gets: each small softgel contains 50 mcg (2,000 IU) of vitamin D3 as cholecalciferol dissolved in soybean oil, with gelatin and glycerin forming the shell. It is USP Verified, meaning USP has tested the ingredients, potency and manufacturing process, and a 250-softgel bottle costs $15.99, or roughly 6 cents a day.

The dose is well chosen. 2,000 IU is 250% of the Daily Value and more than the 600 to 800 IU RDA for adults, but only half the 4,000 IU upper limit, which leaves room for fortified foods and sun. According to NIH, vitamin D3 raises blood 25(OH)D levels more effectively and for longer than vitamin D2, and fat in the gut enhances absorption, which is why the label says to take it with a meal.

What vitamin D can do depends on your starting point. It is well established for maintaining vitamin D status in people with little sun exposure or low intake, but large trials such as VITAL, which used this same 2,000 IU daily dose, found no reduction in fractures or in breast, prostate or colorectal cancer among mostly vitamin D-sufficient older adults.

Buyers and video reviewers consistently describe the softgels as small and easy to swallow, and several report that their blood levels rose into the normal range. The gelatin shell rules it out for vegetarians.