Vitamins D and K both play essential roles in calcium metabolism – with Vitamin D helping absorption while Vitamin K channeling it to bones–making them an excellent combination supplement choice, particularly among populations at high risk for osteoporosis such as postmenopausal women.
Vitamins and minerals are both vital for proper bodily functioning. You can find them in many foods as well as available as individual supplements or combination products.
Vitamin K2 Helps Your Body Absorb Calcium
Vitamin K2 is essential for depositing calcium where it should go: in bones and teeth rather than in arteries or soft tissues such as arteries. Anyone taking calcium supplements must also include MK-7, an excellent form of Vitamin K2.
Vitamin D3 promotes calcium absorption, with parathyroid glands (four pea-sized organs located within the thyroid gland) taking care to keep blood calcium levels balanced by drawing calcium from bone. Furthermore, vitamin D also activates protein molecules that regulate calcium metabolism including osteocalcin which stores it within bones.
Vitamin D also stimulates production of vitamin K-dependent proteins that help prevent arterial calcification. Clinical and experimental trials demonstrate that taking both D and K together significantly enhances calcium absorption and utilization, potentially lowering risk for osteoporosis and arterial calcification. It’s advisable to always take both vitamins together in the same dose; there are now supplements offering both D and K in one convenient tablet or liquid form.
Vitamin D Helps Your Body Use Calcium
Ensuring you’re getting enough vitamins and minerals is integral to maintaining overall body health. This includes Vitamin D (known as “sunshine vitamin” or calciferol) to absorb calcium from intestines while also helping prevent soft tissues such as arteries from hardening with calcium deposits.
Vitamin D can be found in food such as fish, mushrooms, eggs, dairy products and fortified foods; it’s also produced naturally when exposed to sunlight. Vitamin K comes in two forms – K1 (phylloquinone) and K2 (menaquinone), with K1 being more prevalent among leafy greens and fermented vegetables while menaquinones can be found primarily in animal-sourced sources like liver fat egg yolk cheese etc.
Studies have demonstrated that supplementation of Vitamin D3 and K2 together is more effective at increasing bone density and decreasing risk of osteoporosis than either alone, due to Vitamin D increasing calcium levels while Vitamin K2 blocks excess calcium from building up in soft tissues that could otherwise put people at risk of cardiovascular disease.
Vitamin K2 Helps Your Body Transport Calcium
While vitamin D helps your body absorb calcium, vitamin K2 directs where that calcium should go. Think of it like the bow that directs calcium arrows towards bone tissue – without this protein’s help, calcium could end up in your arteries or other soft tissues instead.
Calcification can contribute to high blood pressure, hardening of the arteries, and heart disease. Studies indicate that people with low levels of vitamin K2 are at increased risk for cardiovascular diseases (10)
Vitamin K2 can activate matrix Gla protein to remove calcium from vascular structures and keep it from forming plaques, and activate osteocalcin, which holds calcium within bones. When taken together, vitamins D and K may have a synergistic effect to further improve health outcomes.
Vitamin D Helps Your Body Make Vitamin K
Vitamin D helps your body produce vitamin K-dependent proteins essential to bone and heart health, including those necessary for carboxylation of these proteins. Both vitamins are also integral parts of maintaining cardiovascular wellness by preventing arterial calcification – one major risk factor associated with heart disease.
Diet is usually an easy way to obtain enough vitamin D, with sources including leafy green vegetables and cereal grains as well as animal sources like liver and egg yolk. Natto may also contain this essential nutrient.
Vitamin K can be more difficult to source through diet alone and is frequently necessary in high doses for specific populations like pregnant women and people taking blood thinners. Therefore, it’s wise to consult your healthcare provider about your vitamin K consumption, since higher dosages could interact negatively with certain medications.