An incredibly useful vitamin combo
Table of Contents
There’s always a bit of mistrust when it comes to supplements: it’s hard to see why you should consider taking them as part of a healthy lifestyle. Instead, in our opinion, there is a very useful combination of vitamins that everyone should take: vitamins D3 and K2.
Vitamin D3 with vitamin K2 is one of the best supplements that are recommended, along with high-quality fish oil and probiotics. In this article, we want to explain why vitamin D is so important and why, in our opinion, it should be taken together with vitamin K2 especially in overweight people.
Vitamins D3 and K2: why are they so important?
A common trait shared by most overweight people is vitamin D deficiency. Vitamin D directly supports healthy thyroid function, metabolism, and insulin resistance. In addition to weight loss and weight management, vitamin D is also critical for overall wellness. In fact, recent research puts vitamin D more on the level of a hormone than a vitamin. This means that vitamin D has an impact on our entire body and health, system-wide. But let’s look at it in more detail.
Vitamin D is essential for healthy weight loss:
- Optimizes metabolism through healthy thyroid function
- Supports proper glucose metabolism
- Helps with insulin resistance
- Reduces belly fat and other difficult body fat near vital organs
Vitamin D also plays a significant role in helping you avoid the hospital!
Is essential for transporting calcium from our bloodstream to our bones. Our bodies require sufficient levels of vitamin D for strong, healthy bones. It is also vital for regular immune function and helps our bodies fight off viruses, bacteria, and cancer cells.
Vitamin D deficiency increases the risk of certain cancers including colorectal, breast, prostate, and pancreatic cancer. And one of the leading causes of fatigue is a deficiency of this vitamin. In extreme cases, it can also lead to depression, mood swings, sleep disturbances, and frequent falls among the elderly.
What about vitamin K2?
Vitamins D3 and K2: K2 and its functions
Vitamin K is an essential, fat-soluble nutrient that our bodies need for functions such as healthy blood clotting. It comes in two forms:
- Vitamin K1, (phylloquinone) found in green leafy vegetables and some vegetable oils
- Vitamin K2, (menaquinone) found in dairy products, fermented foods, and animal products
Our bodies produce some vitamin K in the colon but most get the needs they need directly from their diet.
Why do you need vitamin K2?
Both vitamins K1 and K2 ensure healthy blood clotting, preventing excessive bleeding and bruising when blood vessels are injured.
Why should vitamin D be taken with vitamin K2?
Current research shows the important synergistic relationship between vitamins K2 and D3. Taking vitamin D3 with vitamin K2 helps ensure that the calcium carried by vitamin D is absorbed by the bones where it is needed, rather than accumulating in deposits in the arteries. Vitamin D also is a fat-soluble vitamin, and vitamin K helps the body use calcium by transporting it to the bones.
Increasing vitamin D intake without sufficient vitamin K can cause calcium levels to rise without the ability to use it effectively, which increases the risk of deposits in the arteries and soft tissues. This is dangerous because it can lead to heart disease, heart attack, and even stroke.
A recent study revealed a slower progression of calcification in those taking both vitamin K2 and vitamin D compared to those taking vitamin D alone. In fact, K2 and D protected against cardiovascular calcification, while group D alone did not.
Because vitamin D is so effective at improving calcium levels, taking it alone could work to increase calcification in your arteries instead of strengthening your bones, so be sure to include K2 in your vitamin D dietary supplement regimen!