As a medication, cholecalciferol may be taken as a dietary supplement to prevent or to treat vitamin D deficiency.

This is important for maintaining calcium levels and promoting bone health and development. Vitamin D deficiency Ĭholecalciferol is a form of vitamin D which is naturally synthesized in skin and functions as a pro-hormone, being converted to calcitriol. Medical uses Ĭholecalciferol appears to stimulate the body's interferon type I signaling system that protects against bacteria and viruses, unlike Vitamin D2. Cholecalciferol is available as a generic medication and over the counter. In 2020, it was the 60th most commonly prescribed medication in the United States, with more than 11 million prescriptions. It is on the World Health Organization's List of Essential Medicines. Ĭholecalciferol was first described in 1936. Normal doses, 800–2000 IU per day, are safe in pregnancy.

Doses greater than 40,000 IU (1,000 μg) per day are generally required before high blood calcium occurs. Excessive doses in humans can result in vomiting, constipation, weakness, and confusion. Vitamin-D supplements may not be effective in people with severe kidney disease. It is also used for familial hypophosphatemia, hypoparathyroidism that is causing low blood calcium, and Fanconi syndrome. Ĭholecalciferol can be taken as an oral dietary supplement to prevent vitamin D deficiency or as a medication to treat associated diseases, including rickets. Plants, cow milk, fruit juice, yogurt, and margarine also may have cholecalciferol added to them in some countries, including the United States. It is found in food such as some fish, beef liver, eggs, and cheese. One of its actions is to increase calcium uptake by the intestines. It is converted in the liver to calcifediol (25-hydroxyvitamin D) which is then converted in the kidney to calcitriol (1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D). Ĭholecalciferol is made in the skin following UVB light exposure. Cholecalciferol, also known as vitamin D 3 and colecalciferol, is a type of vitamin D that is made by the skin when exposed to sunlight it is found in some foods and can be taken as a dietary supplement.

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