Vitamin D is an essential vitamin responsible for the control of over 700 genes. Vitamin D deficiency can lead to a great number of pathological conditions including osteomalacia, osteoporosis, secondary hyperparathyroidism, muscle pain, weakness, fatigue, increased susceptibility to infections, cardiovascular disease, autoimmune disorders, diabetes, mood disorders like depression and anxiety, hair loss, difficulty with weight management, and even potentially certain cancers. It is also notable that, according to a 2023 study by di Filippo et al, survivors of COVID-19 who suffer long COVID have lower vitamin D levels than survivors without long COVID. Additionally, global vitamin D levels have shown a downward trend in recent decades, with deficiency affecting 47.9% of the world population and severe deficiency affecting 15.7%. The World Health Organization recommends vitamin D supplementation when dietary intake and sunlight exposure are insufficient.

Supplementation with vitamin D is clearly a beneficial strategy for increasing systemic vitamin D exposure for the proper health of the human body. But with a large over-abundance of vitamin D supplements on the market (the global vitamin D supplements market, valued at USD 5.22 billion in 2025, is expected to grow to USD 7.96 billion by 2030), customers are flooded with choices with little criteria on which to base a choice on or which supplement option will be most effective for them.

Ultimate D3 by DCM Life offers superior delivery through liposomes, the inclusion of vital cofactors in its formulation, all at a competitive price point, making it the most intelligent choice for discerning customers.

Why Liposomal?

Anecdotally, many have noticed low serum levels of calcifediol (25-hydroxyvitamin D3) on blood tests, despite supplementing with vitamin D regularly, even extensively. This is likely due to poor absorption due to a less-than-ideal delivery method of the vitamin through the digestive process.

Vitamin D supplements typically suspend the vitamin in an oil base which is inefficient and is subject to form unstable emulsions that can phase-separate in the stomach, leading to both delayed release from the stomach and less consistent absorption. Because vitamin D is a very hydrophobic molecule (its chemical properties are such that it cannot be absorbed or dissolved in water), its absorption and transport throughout the body to the sites where it is needed requires complex lipid and protein carriers (lipoproteins) which are dependent upon a certain degree of health and functionality within the bodily system. The advice to take vitamin D, and other fat-soluble nutrients, with a fatty meal is insufficient to provide the increased absorption necessary for desired supplemental outcomes.

Scientists and supplement manufacturers have been experimenting with pharmacokinetics of vitamin D, looking for alternative delivery strategies to improve the absorption of this vital nutrient. Liposomal delivery has shown great promise in fulfilling this urgent need.

Liposomal preparations involve a process where the nutrient is encapsulated in microscopic “liposomes,”  small artificial vesicles, spherical in shape, which are surrounded by a lipid bilayer. This bilayer is similar in structure to cell walls; composed of phospholipids with hydrophilic heads and hydrophobic tails. Because of these molecular properties, these phospholipids spontaneously assemble in aqueous environments to minimize contact between the tails and water, forming spheres. This unique structure allows the spheres to encapsulate the hydrophobic vitamin D creating a delivery system that is biocompatible, biodegradable and low in toxicity. Due to the hydrophobicity of vitamin D, it sits within the lipid bilayer of the liposomes rather than in the aqueous center as with hydrophilic molecules (in liposomal vitamin C, for example).

Liposomal encapsulation enhances stability and protection of the vitamin D from digestive processes ensuring it reaches the small intestine intact. It also improves mucus penetration, a major impediment to absorption of oil-based formulations of vitamin D. In the digestive tract, liposomal delivery increases the efficiency of cellular uptake by the intestinal cells (enterocytes) as the phospholipid bilayer of the nanoparticles fuse with phospholipid layer of the cell, doing away with the necessity for carriers across the cell wall. This leads to significantly faster and more direct delivery to the bloodstream in a consistent and uniform manner.

All of these properties lead to a rapid increase in calcifediol levels in the blood compared to oily formulations. Yanachkova et. al compared oil-based versus microencapsulated liposomal forms of vitamin D for effectiveness in addressing polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) in 70 female patients by assessing body mass index (BMI) and insulin resistance (IR) after 3 months of supplementation. They found significantly increased serum levels of vitamin D in the microencapsulated group in the third month compared to the oil-based group and that the liposomal group achieved significant improvement in metabolic profile, particularly insulin sensitivity.

Zurek et. al compared the pharmacokinetics of liposomal and oily formulations of vitamin D by testing the serum levels in 18 healthy volunteers at 8 time points after administration. Short-term absorption data was then subject to physiology-based mathematical modeling to evaluate absorption. They found the liposomal formulation was more effective in elevating calcifediol concentration in serum and determined the AUC (area under the curve), a measure of the total exposure of the body to a drug over time, was four times larger for the liposomal formulation versus the oil-based formula.

By comparison, Solnier et. al found a six times higher AUC of vitamin D absorption into the bloodstream of the liposomal group versus the oil-based group, each taking 1000IU per day over the course of 30 days. In fact, the serum levels of those taking 1000IU of liposomal vitamin D were comparable to those taking 2500IU of the oily formulation, even though the dose was 2.5 times lower. And interestingly, after stopping treatment for 30 days, the liposomal group had seven times higher vitamin D concentrations than the oil-based formulation group.

Fast and efficient absorption is a vital component of supplementation with any nutrient, but perhaps none are more important than vitamin D. Liposomal delivery is an inexpensive and elegant solution to the problem effectively raising vitamin D levels through dietary supplementation.

The Calcifediol Advantage

Similar to the above mentioned studies, a study by Dałek et. al compared the absorption of liposomal vitamin D to a standard oil-based preparation in healthy volunteers, by accurately testing serum levels at various time periods after administration. They showed that, on average the group receiving the liposomal form had detectable levels of calcifediol in the blood within hours, whereas the oil-based formulation group did not.

It is important to note that calcifediol is one step closer to the active form of vitamin D that the body uses for all the processes we associate with vitamin D. Vitamin D3, or cholecalciferol, needs to be converted in the liver to calcifediol, or calcidiol (25-hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD)), which is the main circulating form of vitamin D in the blood. From there it undergoes further conversion to calcitriol, or 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D (1,25(OH)2D), in the kidneys. This is the final step, as calcitriol is the active form of vitamin D and functions as a steroid hormone by binding to the vitamin D receptor in target tissues.

Therefore, in the above study when the researchers were examining the levels of calcifediol in the blood, they were looking at vitamin D which had already gone through processing in the liver. In other words, liposomal delivery not only leads to faster absorption of vitamin D3, but faster conversion to calcifediol. This means that the circulating blood levels of vitamin D are one step closer to direct utilization by the body.

When calcifediol is supplemented directly it leads to better outcomes than with cholecalciferol (vitamin D3). Notably, calcifediol is more hydrophilic than vitamin D3 and is therefore less likely to get sequestered into adipose tissue and more likely to continue on to be converted in the kidneys to be used by the body immediately. In obese individuals, higher doses of vitamin D3 are necessary in order to get to optimal serum concentrations due to a higher likelihood that much of the supplement will end up in the body’s fat storage.

It is clear that optimal serum concentrations of calcifediol is the key end-point in vitamin D supplementation. However, in many countries supplemental calcifediol is not available, or only available by doctor’s prescription. Liposomal vitamin D is a viable alternative to direct calcifediol supplementation as it is widely available and available without prescription.

Cofactors Make the Difference

Much of the action of vitamin D requires cofactor nutrients, something often ignored by supplement manufacturers. In addition to the cutting edge delivery system, Ultimate D3 by DCM Life has been formulated to include many cofactors that are needed for the proper utilization of vitamin D.

BORON

Boron goes hand in hand with vitamin D in human physiology. Perhaps most impressively, boron increases the half life of vitamin D. The mechanism through which it accomplishes this is unknown, however a theory proposed by Miljkovic et al is that boron suppresses the activity of 24-hydroxylase, an enzyme responsible for the break-down of vitamin D.

Multiple studies demonstrate that boron modulates vitamin D metabolism, primarily by enhancing its efficacy and bioavailability, especially under conditions of vitamin D deficiency or marginal status. Animal studies have consistently shown that dietary boron improves markers related to vitamin D metabolism. It has also been shown in studies to ameliorate the negative effects of vitamin D deficiency, such as elevated plasma glucose and triglycerides, and enhanced bone mineralization and cartilage maturation.

VITAMIN K2

Vitamin D3 enhances calcium absorption, but without the right director in the body, that calcium can end up causing calcification of tissue instead of going into the bones and teeth where it belongs. Vitamin K2 is that director. Vitamin K2 activates proteins like osteocalcin, which are essential for incorporating calcium into the bone matrix and preventing its deposition in blood vessels and soft tissues. This coordinated action supports both bone mineral density and cardiovascular health, reducing the risk of osteoporosis and arterial calcification. Taking vitamin K2 with vitamin D also results in an increased level of calcifediol in the blood. In one study, “115% more supplemental vitamin D was needed for 50% of the population to achieve 40 ng/ml (100 nmol/L) for those not taking supplemental vitamin K2 compared to those who took 200 mcg/day or more.” (This vitamin D level is increased even more if magnesium is included with K2; see Vitamin K and Vitamin D: A Review with Common Questions & Answers). Vitamin K2 also works synergistically with vitamin D in increasing insulin sensitivity, improving cardiovascular health by preventing arterial calcification, and improving immune response.

MAGNESIUM

Without magnesium, vitamin D would not get very far within the body. In fact, without sufficient magnesium, vitamin D remains largely inactive, limiting its benefits even if blood levels appear normal. This relationship is so significant that a 2025 meta-analysis found co-supplementation improved blood levels of both nutrients and reduced inflammation markers hs-CRP and TNF-α in overweight and obese adults (see The effects of magnesium and vitamin D/E co-supplementation on inflammation markers and lipid metabolism of obese/overweight population).

Magnesium is a required cofactor in multiple steps of vitamin D activation. Firstly, the binding of vitamin D to vitamin D-binding protein (DBP) in order to be transported in the blood, requires magnesium. It is also needed for the activity of the enzyme responsible for conversion of vitamin D to calcifediol (25-hydroxyvitamin D) in the liver. In the kidneys, magnesium is also required for the final enzymatic reaction converting calcifediol to active 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D (calcitriol). Magnesium is also required for the function of the vitamin D receptor (VDR).

Boron, vitamin K2 and magnesium are all required cofactors in the proper utilization of vitamin D. For this reason, they are included in Ultimate D3 in order to maximize the essential effects of vitamin D supplementation.

References

Di Filippo et al, Low Vitamin D Levels Are Associated With Long COVID Syndrome in COVID-19 Survivors https://academic.oup.com/jcem/article/108/10/e1106/7116659

Dałek et al, Bioavailability by design — Vitamin D3 liposomal delivery vehicles https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1549963422000387

Jodar et al, Calcifediol: a review of its pharmacological characteristics and clinical use in correcting vitamin D deficiency https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9979899/

Yanachkova et al, Benefits of using a microencapsulated vitamin D delivery system in women with polycystic ovary syndrome https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34853015/

Zurek et al, Novel Approach for the Approximation of Vitamin D3 Pharmacokinetics from In Vivo Absorption Studies https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4923/15/3/783

Solnier et al, A Comparison and Safety Evaluation of Micellar versus Standard Vitamin D3 Oral Supplementation in a Randomized, Double-Blind Human Pilot Study https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/16/11/1573

Hunt, C D, The biochemical effects of physiologic amounts of dietary boron in animal nutrition models. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC1566648/

Miljkovic et al, Up-regulatory impact of boron on vitamin D function – does it reflect inhibition of 24-hydroxylase? https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0306987704002919

Vitamin K and Vitamin D: A Review with Common Questions & Answers https://www.grassrootshealth.net/blog/vitamin-k-vitamin-d-review-common-questions-answers/

Uwitonze et al, Role of Magnesium in Vitamin D Activation and Function https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29480918/

Deng et al, The effects of magnesium and vitamin D/E co-supplementation on inflammation markers and lipid metabolism of obese/overweight population: a systematic review and meta-analysis https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/nutrition/articles/10.3389/fnut.2025.1563604/full