Don’t forget vitamin K! Why a K2 vitamin D3 combo is essential to get the most from both supplements

If you take supplements, you're probably already aware of the huge benefits of boosting your vitamin D3 levels. This vital vitamin can help to improve your bone health, enhance muscle function, protect your cardiovascular system, lighten your mood, support your immune system, and so much more. Numerous studies have shown just how crucial vitamin D is for good health. And  new positive impacts continue to be discovered. Remember when you couldn't get vitamin D during the pandemic after research showed it could lessen illness severity!? Unsurprisingly, vitamin D3 is well known as an essential vitamin, found in the majority of multivitamin supplements. But what lots of people aren't aware of, is that taking a supplement that contains both K2 & vitamin D3 can boost the effectiveness of both vitamins.

Not only do vitamins K and D work better when taken together. A phenomenon known as synergy (find out more about other vitamins that work synergistically in our blog here). When you combine D3 and K2, these powerful partners provide even more health gains. So much so that functional medicine expert Dr Mark Hyman recommends this combo as one of his daily 'non-negotiable' supplements. Read on to discover just some of the benefits, and why taking these supplements in tandem is a must to get the most from your vitamins.

Why does taking a K2 vitamin D3 supplement work better than taking them separately?

First up, if you've been taking vitamin D on its own, then don't panic. Taken alone it will still provide you with plenty of health benefits. But if you can, it's well worth adding K2 in the mix, because both vitamins work better when taken together. Essentially, K2 vitamin D3 need each other to do their jobs in the body properly. In a nutshell, vitamin D helps extract calcium from your food, and K2 helps deposit it where you need it.

Calcium is essential for so many aspects of your health, from strong bones and teeth to heart and muscle function. It has even been linked to helping prevent diseases such as cancer, diabetes, and high blood pressure. It's relatively easy to get the calcium you need from your diet. But if you're deficient in vitamin D and K, like 25% of the UK, then it's likely that not enough of the calcium will be properly utilised by your body. Taking a supplement like our handy Vitamin D3/K2 patch is an easy peasy way to ensure you're getting the optimum amounts of this vitamin dream team. Together, they can ensure calcium does its thing and help you feel your best.

Can you get K2 & vitamin D3 naturally, or is it best to take a supplement?

Deficiencies in both these vitamins are common, and it can be tricky to get enough of both of these nutrients in your diet. Vitamin D is found abundantly in oily fish, like salmon, mackerel, sardines, egg yolks, red meat, and liver. So hard luck if you're veggie or vegan! Vitamin K2 is even harder to find in foods. Recommended sources include Natto, a Japanese fermented soybean dish – not the easiest thing to pick up at the supermarket. As well as certain cheeses like Jarlsberg, sauerkraut, and other fermented products. Arguably, all acquired tastes!

In an ideal world, you'd also get vitamin D from sun exposure, but have you seen the weather lately!? Add in working longer days indoors and high-factor sunscreen, and a bit of sunshine doesn’t provide the right amount of D for a lot of us. Plus, even if your D levels are decent, not getting enough K2 will impact how well your body can utilise it. Because of this, it's a safer bet to take a K2 vitamin D3 supplement.

Oral K2 vitamin D3 supplements can upset some people's stomachs. And taking a high oral dose canoften leads to much of the vitamin being excreted. Your body can’t make use of high concentrations of a vitamin in one go, and much of the good stuff won’t make it through the gut. Our patches work differently, delivering the vitamin D3/K2 transdermally, through the skin. The nutrients are drip-fed into your body gradually, which bypasses the stomach and liver. This means much more of the vitamins will make it into your bloodstream, your levels will rise, and you’ll be able to feel the benefit – hurrah! Get yours here.

What benefits are there from taking a K2 vitamin D3 supplement?

1. Enhanced cardiovascular health:

The tissue in your heart and blood vessels contains vitamin D receptors and low vitamin D levels are associated with arterial stiffness and high blood pressure. This suggests that keeping your vitamin D levels topped up could help prevent heart disease. But adding in Vitamin K2 will give you even greater protection! K2 prevents calcium from accumulating in your arteries by activating proteins in the body, known as GLA proteins. These proteins help move the calcium out of your bloodstream and into your bones and teeth instead. Double win!

Our favourite neuroscientist Andrew Huberman takes vitamin K and D3 and reports that since combining them he noticed his cardiac markers (tests which can show inflammation and disease) improved – if it's good enough for Huberman…

But that's not the only way a K2 vitamin D3 supplement could help to protect your cardiovascular health. Both vitamins also play a role in improving how your body responds to insulin and how much you produce. This helps reduce the risk of developing type two diabetes, a significant risk factor for inflammation and cardiovascular disease.

2. Stronger bones and teeth:

While vitamin D3 helps your body absorb more calcium, vitamin K2 helps your body transport it to your bones and teeth where it is mineralised. The K2 activates a protein called osteocalcin, which binds the calcium to your bone matrix. A process that makes your bones and teeth stronger and denser, making you less prone to broken bones or cavities – result!

Taking a K2 vitamin D3 supplement is particularly important as you get older to protect yourself from osteoporosis. If you're a woman, it's well worth including D3/K2 in your supplement regime as you approach menopause. On average women lose up to 10% of their bone mass in the first five years after menopause.

3. Improved immunity:

This dynamic duo also have anti-inflammatory effects which will help to boost your immunity. When you have chronic inflammation. your immune system can get tied up trying to dampen this down and isn't as effective in responding to injury, infection, or toxins.

Vitamin D helps your body to develop dendritic and natural killer cells (your first defence against pesky pathogens) while K2 inhibits the production of inflammatory markers and improves your vascular health. This helps your blood to circulate, so your immune cells can respond to any threats faster and more effectively. Making a K2 vitamin D3 supplement a great choice if you're fed up with constant colds and flu, or injuries taking ages to recover from. Plus – they both support skin health, so can also help with healing up any cuts or skin issues and even improve the elasticity of your complexion. All these health benefits and plumper, healthier looking skin? Yes, please!