People who need extra vitamin D from the diet may be able to get it through mushrooms rather than relying solely on dairy products.
Researchers randomized 30 volunteers to either 2,000 IU of vitamin D2 capsules, 2,000 IU of vitamin D3 capsules or 2,000 IU of mushroom powder daily for three months. Each group had levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D measured before and during the study.
Blood levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D rose in all subjects over the course of the study, and there was no statistically significant difference between the three groups. One of the investigators suggested that since mushrooms exposed to ultraviolet light make vitamin D2, D3 and D4, they appear to be a good source for this critical nutrient.
You can learn more about vitamin D and other sources of this vitamin in our Guide to Vitamin D Deficiency.
[Experimental Biology 2013; American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Annual Meeting, Boston, April 20-24, 2013]
