Expert Advice - The Dynamic Duo That Is Vitamin K2 and D3
While Vitamin K2 and Vitamin D3 both have their specific functions in the body, it’s the combination of the Vitamin K2 and D3 that make them a dynamic duo. Together, they play a very critical role in bone health and cardiovascular health.
Let’s take a look at what they are separately and how awesome they can be combined to get a clear sense of why you need to pay close attention to Vitamin K2 and D3.
What’s Vitamin D3?
There is an inherent benefit to soaking up as much of the sun as you can – and no, it’s not just about the wicked tan you will get. When you are exposed to the sun, your body naturally produces Vitamin D3, which primarily helps you sustain strong and healthy bones. In addition to that, Vitamin D also performs several important functions within your body, including:
- Muscle function
- Development of a robust immune system
- Brain development
- Better cardiovascular health
Studies show that the lack of Vitamin D could very well be linked to a host of degenerative conditions such as type-II diabetes, high blood pressure, depression, asthma, and cancer.
What’s Vitamin K2?
Most people aren’t that familiar with Vitamin K2. The Vitamin K family includes Vitamin K1 and Vitamin K2. Each one of these has its own unique role to play in the human body, with Vitamin K2 being responsible for blood coagulation (similar to Vitamin K1).
Vitamin K2, however, has a few more responsibilities such as metabolism and mineralization in your bones that make it an integral part of our makeup. It also plays a huge role in reducing calcification of our arteries.
The Dynamic Duo That Is Vitamin K2 and D3
The most important minerals in our bodies go out of their way to help other minerals do exactly what they are supposed to do. That is why Vitamins K2 and D3 are considered the dynamic duo. While calcium is an integral part of bone development, it’s the dynamic duo of Vitamin K2 and D3 that help to transport this calcium (plus other minerals) and properly deposit them in our bones to help improve bone integrity.
Here are a few ways through which Vitamin K2 and D3 work to make your life so much better:
Facilitating the proper absorption of minerals: Almost everything you consume has some dietary benefit to your body. Well, at least the best foods do. Unfortunately, not all the minerals that can be found in most of these foods are efficiently absorbed by our bodies.
Thankfully, Vitamin D3 goes a long way in helping your body to absorb these minerals effectively. It does that by increasing ion permeability in your intestines. That effectively increases your absorption of important minerals such as calcium from your intestinal tract to your bloodstream.
As the calcium travels through your blood, some of it can build up in your arteries, which effectively hardens them. This hardening of arteries makes it difficult for your heart to do its job and perform important duties such as pump and transport enough oxygenated blood to where it’s needed. This can lead to a stroke or even a heart attack.
This is where Vitamin K2 comes into play.
The activation of Matrix GLA: Since Vitamin K2 is a rather important cofactor in regulating calcium, part of its job involves activating an important protein known as “matrix GLA.” This is the protein that prevents vascular calcification (the hardening of arteries) by keeping the calcium deposits from attaching to the soft tissues such as blood vessels.
Vitamin K2 even goes a step further by playing a crucial role in the mineral metabolism process. It activates a second protein known as osteocalcin. This protein works to deposit important minerals such as calcium in our bones.
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How Can You Get Vitamin K2 and D3?
Vitamin K2 and D3 are clearly important for the healthy development of your bones. Not to mention the fact that the dynamic duo helps to keep your arteries from calcifying.
As such, it’s important to have a healthy helping of these crucial minerals. So, how do you get Vitamin K2 and D3?
As for Vitamin D3, the simplest and most effective method to get it is to sit out in the sun. Apart from the tan, you will get, you will also absorb enough Vitamin D.
There are, however, a host of other natural Vitamin D sources such as:
- Fatty fish like tuna, salmon, and sardines
- Milk
- Yogurt
- Margarine
- Orange juice
- Breakfast cereals that are fortified with Vitamin D
Unfortunately, it can be quite difficult to determine if your body has had the right amount of Vitamin D from the food that you eat. That is why the best way to get these crucial minerals remains the simplest, stay out in the sun.
A viable alternative, however, is to take Vitamin D supplements.
But what about Vitamin K2? Where can you get that?
Unfortunately, Vitamin K2 isn’t as easy to find as it’s family member, Vitamin K1, which can be easily found in plant oils, kale, and other green leafy vegetables. Vitamin K2 is microbial in nature and origin, making it that much harder to find in the typical day to day diet. You can, however, find it in foods such as:
- Fish eggs
- Kefir
- Cured meats
- Organ meats
- Sauerkraut
- Aged cheeses
- Butterfat coming from grass-fed cows
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To make things even more difficult, there isn’t a standardized test to determine just how much Vitamin K2 you have in your body or how much of it you need. This, in itself, makes it more difficult to have enough of it. That is why the best way to ensure that you do get enough Vitamin K2 in your diet is to take it as part of a Vitamin K2 and D3 supplement.
Not only is this dynamic duo important for bone health, but they are also an integral part of keeping your arteries from calcification, reducing your chances of heart attack or stroke.