Vitamin D's evil twin

Q: After reading some of the recent eTips on the benefits of vitamin D, I told my doctor that I want to increase my daily dosage. He mentioned that he would consider putting me on something called a vitamin D analogue when there is more research available on them. What exactly is a vitamin D analogue, and should I wait to take one instead of just increasing my dose of the vitamin D supplement I'm already taking?

JVW: Vitamin D analogues are basically the synthetic, patentable, evil twins of all-natural vitamin D3.

The good news is, none of these vitamin D has doppelgangers has hit the market for yet. But they're coming -- as sure as you can say "patent medicine profits."

Fortunately natural versions of higher-quantity vitamin D supplements (1,000 IU, 2,000 IU, and 5,000 IU) are starting to show up on the shelves of lots of different compounding pharmacies and natural food stores so there's really no need to wait around for the synthetic analogues and test fate by taking one.

Even better, the natural versions are exceptionally inexpensive, with prices ranging from $7 to $9 per 100 capsules, depending on the strength. Once they're patented, the analogues are sure to be much more expensive than that.

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