The Ultimate Duo for Strong Bones and a Healthy Heart
Vitamins are essential nutrients that keep our bodies healthy and strong. Two of the most important vitamins for our health are Vitamin D and Vitamin K2. While each of these vitamins is powerful on its own, they work even better together, especially for keeping our bones strong and our hearts healthy. In this guide, we'll explore how Vitamin D and Vitamin K2 work, why they're so important, and how you can make sure you're getting enough of both.
What is Vitamin D?
Vitamin D is often called the "sunshine vitamin" because our bodies can make it when our skin is exposed to sunlight. It's a crucial vitamin for several reasons:
- Helps Absorb Calcium: Vitamin D plays a key role in helping your body absorb calcium from the foods you eat. Calcium is essential for building and maintaining strong bones and teeth.
- Supports Bone Health: Without enough Vitamin D, your bones can become weak and brittle, leading to conditions like osteoporosis, where bones are more likely to break.
- Boosts Your Immune System: Vitamin D also helps your immune system fight off infections, keeping you healthy.
- Improves Mood: There’s also evidence that Vitamin D can help improve your mood and protect against depression, especially in the winter when there’s less sunlight.
What is Vitamin K2?
Vitamin K2 is a lesser-known vitamin, but it’s just as important as Vitamin D. Here’s what Vitamin K2 does:
- Guides Calcium to the Right Places: Vitamin K2 helps make sure that the calcium you get from your diet goes to the right places in your body, like your bones and teeth, where it can make them stronger.
- Protects Your Heart: Vitamin K2 also prevents calcium from building up in your arteries. When calcium gets stuck in your arteries, it can lead to a condition called atherosclerosis, which makes it harder for your blood to flow and increases your risk of heart attacks and strokes.
- Strengthens Bones: Studies show that Vitamin K2 can help improve bone density, making your bones less likely to break.
The Calcium Paradox
You might think that getting lots of calcium is always a good thing, but there’s something called the "calcium paradox." This happens when calcium, instead of going to your bones, ends up in your arteries. This is bad because it can make your arteries stiff and narrow, leading to heart disease. The calcium paradox is why it’s so important to have enough Vitamin K2. Without Vitamin K2, the calcium your body absorbs might not go to the right places.
How Do Vitamin D and Vitamin K2 Work Together?
Vitamin D and Vitamin K2 are like a team that works together to keep your bones strong and your heart healthy. Here’s how:
- Vitamin D Helps Your Body Absorb Calcium: When you get Vitamin D, either from sunlight, food, or supplements, it helps your body absorb calcium from your diet.
- Vitamin K2 Directs Calcium to the Right Places: After Vitamin D helps your body absorb calcium, Vitamin K2 makes sure that the calcium goes to your bones and teeth, where it’s needed most. It also stops calcium from building up in your arteries.
- Together, They Protect Your Bones and Heart: By working together, Vitamin D and Vitamin K2 help make sure that calcium strengthens your bones without causing problems for your heart. This teamwork is key to solving the calcium paradox.
The Benefits of Vitamin D and K2 Together
There are many benefits to making sure you’re getting enough of both Vitamin D and Vitamin K2:
- Stronger Bones: When you get enough Vitamin D and K2, the calcium in your body goes to your bones, making them stronger and less likely to break. This is especially important as you get older because bones can become weaker with age.
- A Healthier Heart: Vitamin K2 helps keep your arteries clear of calcium buildup, which reduces the risk of heart disease. This means that taking both vitamins together can help protect your heart.
- Better Immune Function: Vitamin D is known to support your immune system, helping your body fight off infections and illnesses. Combined with Vitamin K2, you’re giving your body even more support to stay healthy.
- Balanced Calcium Levels: With the help of Vitamin K2, Vitamin D ensures that calcium is used where it’s needed, so your body has the right amount of calcium in the right places.
- Improved Muscle Function: Both Vitamin D and Vitamin K2 are important for muscle function. Vitamin D helps maintain muscle strength, while Vitamin K2 ensures that calcium supports proper muscle contraction.
Best Sources of Vitamin D and K2
It’s important to get enough Vitamin D and K2 to keep your body healthy. Here’s where you can find them:
- Vitamin D:
- Sunlight: The best way to get Vitamin D is by spending time in the sun. Just 10-30 minutes a few times a week can help your body make enough Vitamin D.
- Foods: You can find Vitamin D in foods like fatty fish (such as salmon and mackerel), egg yolks, and fortified foods like milk, orange juice, and cereals.
- Supplements: If you don’t get enough Vitamin D from sunlight or food, you can take Vitamin D supplements. These come in different forms, but Vitamin D3 is the most effective.
- Vitamin K2:
- Animal Products: Vitamin K2 is found in animal products like meat, liver, and egg yolks, as well as in dairy products like cheese and butter.
- Fermented Foods: Some fermented foods, like natto (a traditional Japanese dish made from fermented soybeans) and sauerkraut, are rich in Vitamin K2.
- Supplements: You can also take Vitamin K2 supplements, often combined with Vitamin D3, to make sure you’re getting enough of both vitamins.
Who Should Consider Taking Vitamin D and K2 Supplements?
Not everyone gets enough Vitamin D and K2 from food and sunlight alone. Here are some people who might need to take supplements:
- People Who Don’t Get Enough Sunlight: If you live in a place where there’s not much sunlight, or if you spend most of your time indoors, you might not be getting enough Vitamin D.
- Older Adults: As you get older, your skin doesn’t make as much Vitamin D, and your bones might start to weaken. Taking both Vitamin D and K2 can help protect your bones.
- People at Risk for Osteoporosis: If you’re at higher risk for osteoporosis, a condition where bones become weak and fragile, taking these vitamins can help keep your bones strong.
- People Concerned About Heart Health: If you’re worried about heart disease, taking Vitamin K2 can help prevent calcium from building up in your arteries.
How to Choose the Right Supplement
The dosage is critical. In our experience most people need about 5000 IU of vitamin D daily to maintain optimal vitamin D levels, and should do this in combination with K2 to support healthy calcium balance in the heart and bones. Keep in mind optimal levels are not the same as the “normal” range on typical labs. The dosage varies by person though so you should have your levels monitored regularly by your doctor.
Key Takeaways
Vitamin D and Vitamin K2 are a powerful duo that work together to keep your bones strong and your heart healthy. By making sure that calcium goes to the right places in your body, these vitamins help protect you from weak bones and heart disease. Whether you get them from food, sunlight, or supplements, getting enough of both Vitamin D and K2 is crucial for staying healthy.
If you think you might not be getting enough of these vitamins, talk to your doctor about whether you should start taking a supplement. With the right balance of Vitamin D and K2, you can enjoy stronger bones, a healthier heart, and better overall health.
You can check out our most popular vitamin D and K2 supplements here.
References
- Kate Rheaume-Bleue. Vitamin K2 and the Calcium Paradox: How a Little-Known Vitamin Could Save Your Life Paperback –2011.
- Iwamoto et al.. “Effect of combined administration of vitamin D3 and vitamin K2 on bone mineral density of the lumbar spine in postmenopausal women with osteoporosis.” Journal of Orthopaedic Science 5.6 (2000): 546- 551.
- Johanna M et al. Dietary Intake of Menaquinone Is Associated with a Reduced Risk of Coronary Heart Disease: The Rotterdam Study. The Journal of Nutrition, 2004, 3100-3105.