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Health & Vitality
Did your parents tell you to drink milk when you were young? Milk is a staple drink recognized for its role in strengthening bones. Rich in calcium and fortified with vitamin D, it makes an excellent beverage for maintaining strong bones. Now, research is emerging on another piece of the puzzle: the connection of vitamin D with K. Does our body need both of these vitamins to reach its peak state, and what’s the best vitamin D and K supplement?
Discover vitamin D and K supplements
Learn how vitamins D and K work together for your health
What is vitamin D?
Vitamin D is a nutrient that plays a significant role in calcium metabolism, bone formation, and ensuring your bloodstream has enough calcium to meet your body’s needs. Organs and tissues also have vitamin D receptors, leading scientists to believe it plays other bodily roles.
Vitamin D comes in two forms: D2 and D3. Plants produce vitamin D2, and animals create vitamin D3. Fish and fish oil contain vitamin D, as do fortified foods like orange juice, milk, and cereal – though most foods lack high levels of this nutrient. Humans instead produce vitamin D when their skin absorbs the sun’s UVB rays, leading to the nickname “the sunshine vitamin.”
What is vitamin K?
Vitamin K is an important nutrient that contributes to calcium regulation in the body. It activates specific proteins that help increase calcium levels in the bones and prevent them from depositing in undesirable places, such as the kidneys. Vitamins D and K are vital to bone formation, but many people only know about vitamin D.
Like vitamin D, vitamin K comes in K1 and K2 forms. You can find Vitamin K1 in leafy greens like broccoli and kale and K2 in fermented dairy, with small amounts in cheese, eggs, meat, and in the gut. Compared to obtaining vitamin D, getting the recommended daily vitamin K intake is easier through diet, particularly for those following a plant-based diet. However, some people choose a vitamin D and K supplement to ensure they get enough of both.
How does vitamin D with K work?
Vitamins D and K depend on each to help the body create, maintain and store calcium, the building block of strong bones. Vitamin D helps your body absorb calcium into the bloodstream, while vitamin K directs it where to go. When you get enough vitamin D but not enough vitamin K, too much calcium can deposit in your soft tissues and blood vessels. Some studies show that vitamin K reduces blood vessel calcification, although research is ongoing.
Benefits of vitamin D and K supplements
For years, scientists have studied vitamins D and K separately. However, research on their synergistic effects is just beginning to emerge and reveal several connections.
Bone health
There is a well-studied link between vitamin D and bone health, but can vitamin D with K be even more effective? One meta-analysis discovered that vitamin D and K supplements are more effective for bone health. The study looked at numerous in vitro, animal, and human studies, which suggested optimal values of these vitamins together can support bone health and reduce fracture risk.
Cardiovascular health
Vitamin D and K deficiencies can also affect your cardiovascular health. Low vitamin K can play a role in cardiovascular disease development (CVD), especially for those with chronic kidney conditions. The combination of low vitamin D and low vitamin K is also associated with higher blood pressure and risk for hypertension, which is associated with cardiovascular mortality or a cause of death related to CVD.
Neurodegenerative disease
A healthy mind is just as important as a healthy body, making this fledgling research area one of the most exciting. Vitamin D can help reduce oxidative stress and inflammation and has an underlying function in neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and multiple sclerosis. Vitamin K also reduces oxidative stress, cell death and looks promising in Alzheimer’s research — a focus of precision medicine. Studies on vitamin D and K supplements are an exciting path for this area of research.
Finding the best vitamin D and K supplement
An estimated 24% of Americans are vitamin D deficient, and nearly 6% are severely deficient. Vitamin K deficiency is rarer, but growing evidence suggests this nutrient is essential for bone, heart and brain health. A vitamin D and K supplement with highly bioavailable nutrients may help bridge dietary gaps..
Tony Robbins’ Lifeforce D+K contains an exclusive form of vitamin D that’s clinically proven to raise levels of this nutrient three times faster than regular supplements.* And a K1 and K2 blend include K2Vital®, one of the purest and most bioactive forms of K2.
Health span, the number of vital and energetic years, is the most crucial aspect of overall health. With their potential benefits for bone health, reducing heart disease risk, and protecting against neurodegenerative conditions, making vitamin D and K supplements a daily habit can support a long and healthy life.
*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.
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