The unbeatable duo for healthy, stable bones: Vitamin D3 & vitamin K2

Posted: September 06, 2024
Sarah Allen
Sarah Allen

Nutritionist and dietician

How resilient are you? You need a strong framework so that life can't simply knock you down. Bone stability becomes increasingly important, especially as we get older.

So what can you do to reduce your own risk of age-related diseases such as osteoporosis (brittle bones), arteriosclerosis (clogged blood vessels) and the like at an early stage?

Our new vitamin duo for strong bones: 

 

➤ Osteoporosis is one of the 10 most common diseases worldwide and is therefore considered a widespread disease!

 

Vitamin D - essential in winter and summer

We already know a lot about vitamin D3. The sun hormone, which is produced through the skin when exposed to sunlight, is particularly well known for its positive effect on our immune system and mood. But it also plays a crucial role in bone health, as it helps to transport calcium from the intestine. 

Unfortunately, many people today have a vitamin D deficiency. Almost everyone is affected, especially in winter. But we can also develop a deficiency in summer if we work indoors a lot and always apply sun cream. 

If you have a deficiency, it makes sense to supplement your body with vitamin D to support your own health. However, you should bear the following in mind ... 

➤ Order vitamin D now!

Vitamin D? Not without vitamin K2!

Vitamin K2 has an important task. It controls where calcium accumulates in the body. Although vitamin D is responsible for ensuring that calcium enters the bloodstream from the intestine, it has fulfilled its purpose. This is where vitamin K2 comes into play. It activates certain proteins that pull the calcium out of the bloodstream and deposit it where it belongs - in the bones and teeth. Otherwise, the calcium would remain in the bloodstream and soft tissue, where it can cause damage.

Prolonged and high-dose supplementation with vitamin D also increases the need for vitamin K2, which is why these two vitamins are often combined, especially when dietary intake is insufficient.

➤ Buy vitamin D and vitamin K2 as a set now!

Which foods contain vitamin D3 and K2?

Compared to vitamin K1, which is found in green leafy vegetables, vitamin K2 is mainly produced by microorganisms and is found in certain animal products.

For example, it is difficult for vegans to cover their vitamin K2 requirements as they do not consume fermented cheeses or egg yolks. Fermented foods such as the Japanese soy specialty natto or sauerkraut are available to them. However, a deficiency can also occur in a non-vegan diet if you suffer from diseases of the digestive system, have a malnutrition or are taking certain medications that hinder the absorption of vitamin K2.

Vitamin K2 is contained in animal products such as:

  • Eggs
  • Meat, especially liver
  • Milk
  • Fermented products such as cheese, yogurt, sauerkraut, kimchi and natto

Vitamin D3 is found most frequently, but only in small amounts, in animal foods such as:

  • Oily fish such as salmon, herring
  • Liver
  • Butter
  • and egg yolk. 

The vitamin duo in the fight against age-related diseases:

  • Against vascular calcification: With the help of vitamin D and vitamin K2, the arteries and soft tissue remain free of calcium and do not clog up, which could otherwise lead to arteriosclerosis. 
  • Against brittle bones: The bones are strengthened by the calcium intake and are therefore less susceptible to fractures, which in turn prevents osteoporosis in old age. Because if the calcium remains in the blood, it is missing in the bones.

 

Sources (in English):

Bügel S. (2008). Vitamin K and bone health in adult humans. Vitamins and hormones, 78, 393–416. doi: 10.1016/S0083-6729(07)00016-7

Kidd P. M. (2010). Vitamins D and K as pleiotropic nutrients: clinical importance to the skeletal and cardiovascular systems and preliminary evidence for synergy. Alternative medicine review : a journal of clinical therapeutic, 15(3), 199–222.

Booth S. L. (2009). Roles for vitamin K beyond coagulation. Annual review of nutrition, 29, 89–110. doi: 10.1146/annurev-nutr-080508-141217

ScienceDirect (2007) Vitamin K2 improves bone strength in postmenopausal women. doi: 10.1016/j.ics.2006.08.006

Staud R. (2005). Vitamin D: more than just affecting calcium and bone. Current rheumatology reports, 7(5), 356–364. doi: 10.1007/s11926-005-0020-0

Holick M. F. (2004). Sunlight and vitamin D for bone health and prevention of autoimmune diseases, cancers, and cardiovascular disease. The American journal of clinical nutrition, 80(6 Suppl), 1678S–88S. doi: 10.1093/ajcn/80.6.1678S

Wang T. J. (2016). Vitamin D and Cardiovascular Disease. Annual review of medicine, 67, 261–272. doi: 10.1146/annurev-med-051214-025146

Wacker, M., & Holick, M. F. (2013). Vitamin D - effects on skeletal and extraskeletal health and the need for supplementation. Nutrients, 5(1), 111–148. doi: 10.3390/nu5010111

Tsugawa N. (2015). Cardiovascular Diseases and Fat Soluble Vitamins: Vitamin D and Vitamin K. Journal of nutritional science and vitaminology, 61 Suppl, S170–S172. doi: 10.3177/jnsv.61.S170

Mozos, I., Stoian, D., & Luca, C. T. (2017). Crosstalk between Vitamins A, B12, D, K, C, and E Status and Arterial Stiffness. Disease markers, 2017, 8784971. doi: 10.1155/2017/8784971