HEALTH REPORT
Vitamin D a New Generation
Do you take vitamin D for bone health? Naturopath Margaret Leedham explains why the new ‘fast-acting’ form could be a better choice for you.
Your body obtains vitamin D from sunlight, as well as from particular foods, such as dairy products and fatty fish. Once it is present in the body, vitamin D then needs undergo a precise activation pathway before it can actually be used by the body to support bone health and immune function. The sunshine vitamin When UVB rays from the sun hit your skin, they convert 7-dehydrocholesterol into vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol), which is the starting form of vitamin D. This form then travels to your liver, where it becomes calcifediol (25-hydroxyvitamin
Now a new generation of vitamin D supplements has arrived with Ampli-D®, a clinically studied form of calcifediol. According to manufacturer data from DSM-Firmenich, Ampli-D® can raise vitamin D levels up to three times faster and more effectively than conventional vitamin D3 supplementation, achieving improvements in days rather than months. Calcifediol is already the circulating form of vitamin D, so it is highly bioavailable; nor does it rely on the same liver conversion step that cholecalciferol does. Calcifediol monohydrate, including newer formulations like Ampli-D®, therefore sit closer to the body’s own circulating vitamin D pool, making it a faster, more targeted and modern way to restore and support vitamin D levels, especially in people who need quicker correction or have difficulty maintaining adequate status.
D or 25(OH)D). This is the main circulating form that is used to measure your vitamin D levels in blood tests and is therefore the key marker of your vitamin D status. From there, calcifediol moves to your kidneys, where it is converted into calcitriol (1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D), which is the active hormone responsible for regulating calcium and phosphate balance, and supporting bone and muscle function. Meet calcifediol monohydrate Most vitamin D supplements contain cholecalciferol, which still requires conversion in your liver before it can raise blood levels. However, calcifediol monohydrate is already in the 25-hydroxyvitamin D form, meaning it bypasses that first conversion step and can directly contribute to the circulating vitamin D levels used in blood testing. Calcifediol monohydrate can therefore increase vitamin D status more rapidly and predictably than standard vitamin D3, especially where absorption or conversion is impaired.
References available on request. Margaret Leedham is a naturopath, educator, product developer and writer with more than 27 years in clinical practice and the natural health industry. She is Brand Manager at NutriVital.
Are you at risk?
Vitamin D is essential for calcium absorption in the gut, maintaining normal blood
• who are mostly indoors, due to work, illness, or lifestyle • with darker skin pigmentation • with malabsorption conditions affecting fat-soluble nutrients • who regularly cover most of their skin for religious or cultural reasons. Pregnant and breastfeeding women and older adults, especially those in residential care, are also consistently identified as being at risk.
calcium levels, immune system health and bone strength and structure. Healthy Bones Australia advises adequate levels of vitamin D are essential for long-term skeletal health. However, even in sunny Australia, deficiency is surprisingly common. Higher-risk groups include people:
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ISSUE 77 • 2026
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