DON'T Take Vitamin D Without This... 🧠
The little known sidekick of Vitamin D... Vitamin K2. (6min Read)
TL;DR Summary:
Vitamin D3's Importance: Recognized for bone health, mood regulation, inflammation, and immune function, with a significant impact on brain health.
Vitamin K2's Role: Essential in regulating calcium in the body, ensuring it is deposited in bones, not arteries, and preventing calcium build-up in soft tissues.
The D3-K2 Synergy: Pairing D3 with K2 is crucial to maximize D3's benefits and prevent potential side effects like hypercalcemia.
Benefits for Trauma Recovery: D3's influence on neurotransmitter synthesis supports cognitive functions, which is vital for individuals recovering from trauma like Complex PTSD.
Product Recommendation: I recommend Performance Lab D3+K2 for its optimized absorption, purity, and appropriate dosing.
Dosage Guidelines: Suggests at least 10,000 IU of Vitamin D3 and a minimum of 100mcg of K2 per 250mcg of D3, emphasizing the importance of personalized advice from healthcare professionals.
Welcome Back!
It’s winter again, so it’s no surprise that you’re probably starting to see many more ads and videos about the importance of Vitamin D!
In fact, I recently wrote about it myself in a blog about Seasonal Depression.
That being said, what isn’t talked about as much is its nutritional sidekick, vitamin K2!
As you’ll see today, nearly all of the “dangerous” side effects from vitamin D3 over supplementation come from it not being paired properly with K2!
As I’ve been getting a ton of DMs & requests about my perspective on D3, I figured I’d put it all in 1 blog so that you have 1 resource to go to.
Let’s dive in.
The Science of Vitamins D3 and K2
Vitamin D3 often hailed as the 'sunshine vitamin', is renowned for its role in bone health, mood regulation, inflammation, and immune function.
However, its lesser-known impact on brain health is equally significant.
Vitamin D receptors are widely distributed in the brain, particularly in areas linked to the development of depression and anxiety, such as the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex.
I’m not gonna go in-depth on its benefits because today is about K2, but Vitamin D is without question one of the most important vitamins there is.
The key benefit we will focus on today is that I can increase the absorption of calcium in the gut by 20x!
It puts this extra calcium in your blood, which CAN be problematic and lead to hypercalcemia, or too much calcium in the blood.
This is bad, and this issue is where K2 comes into the story!
Vitamin K2 to the Rescue
While it’s not talked about as much as Vitamin D, Vitamin K2, plays a critical role in bone metabolism and cardiovascular health.
It aids in the regulation of calcium in the body, ensuring it is deposited in the bones rather than in the arteries!
You’re probably starting to see why it’s so important to pair with Vitamin D3.
That’s because K2 is a calcium transporter, it takes the calcium that Vitamin D3 gets into the blood, and transports it into the bones and teeth!
This helps prevent the build-up of calcium in the blood, arteries, kidneys, eyes, joints, and many other soft tissues!
This partnership not only optimizes bone health but also reduces the risk of vascular calcification, a common issue when high doses of Vitamin D are consumed alone.
Brain Health and Healing from Trauma
Pairing these two vitamins is massively important so that we can get all of the cognitive benefits of vitamin D3 while ensuring we aren’t dumping too much calcium into the wrong places.
An area I spend a lot of time in is the trauma space, where this is even more important!
That’s because the role of vitamins in brain health cannot be overstated.
Vitamin D3's influence on neurotransmitter synthesis and brain function makes it a key player in mood regulation and cognitive processes.
If you’re recovering from Complex PTSD, maintaining optimal levels of Vitamin D3 can support cognitive functions such as memory and executive functioning, which are often compromised in trauma survivors!
What Do I Use?
If you’re wondering how I get my Vitamin D3 & K2, I take Performance Lab D3 + K2.
If you’ve been reading my blog for long enough, you’ll know Performance Lab supplements are the only ones I recommend, so this probably doesn’t surprise you!
There are a couple of key reasons why I like their D3 + K2 supplement though:
Optimized Absorption
The Performance Lab D3+K2 supplement utilizes a form of Vitamin D (D3) that is identical to the vitamin D produced in human skin in response to sun exposure.
This form is known for its superior absorption and efficacy.
And the Vitamin K2 in it is presented as K2 “MK-7”, a form of K2 renowned for its bioavailability and longer half-life in the bloodstream!
Purity and Clean Label
I’m always looking for additives and fillers in supplements that people send me, which is why I love Performance Lab supplements.
They are all free from GMO, soy, gluten, and allergens, making it a suitable choice for individuals with dietary sensitivities.
Convenient and Safe Dosage
While the recommended dosage that you get out of the box is under what I would suggest for someone struggling to heal trauma or for someone deficient in Vitamin D, it’s a great place to start if you’re just getting into taking a Vitamin D supplement.
The dosage is optimized to fulfill the daily requirements without the risk of over-supplementation, which can be a concern with standalone Vitamin D or K supplements.
If you’d like to try some, I’ll put a link below for you to get some for yourself!
Ideal Dosages
While I hesitate to give out direct advice because everyone is so unique, you’d be surprised how much Vitamin D you can and should take.
That being said, if you’re low or healing from trauma, a pretty safe bet is getting at least 10,000 IU’s or 250 mcg of Vitamin D3 per day!
This can be from supplements, multivitamins, food, and of course, sunlight.
As for K2, you’re going to want to make sure that you get about 100mcg per 250mcg of Vitamin D3, at the bare minimum!
In relation to “K2 overdoses” you don’t need to worry about that, even in mega doses, K2 hasn’t been shown to have the detrimental side effects that mega doses of Vitamin D can have.
Something to keep in mind as well is if you’re taking a multivitamin already, you’ll want to be sure to check how much Vitamin D you’re getting in that too!
All of this being said, I am not your doctor or nutritionist! If you’d like personalized recommendations, please email Kelli Hanson, our registered dietitian.
Here’s her information if you don’t remember it:
Insta: @kellikhanson
Kelli’s Website: https://kellikhanson.com/
Stay Sunny My Friends
I hope this blog has helped you understand how vital it is to add some K2 into any Vitamin D supplementation that’s been suggested to you.
While Vitamin D is most of the most powerful vitamins when it comes to your health and well-being, it would be nothing without its sidekick, K2!
So, as you are inundated with all of these Vitamin D ads, content, etc, you’ll now know they’re selling you snake oil if they’re not also talking about K2 as well.
Until next time… Live Heroically 🧠
**Disclaimer: This article is for educational purposes and does not substitute for professional medical advice. Always consult with a healthcare professional before starting any new supplement regimen.**
Supporting Research
Zhan, Y., Zha, D., Lin, H., Mao, X., Yang, L., Huang, H., He, Z., Zhou, S., Xu, F., & Qian, Y. (2023). Vitamin D3 and K2 and their potential contribution to reducing the COVID-19 mortality rate. Pharmaceuticals, 16(8), 1101. https://doi.org/10.3390/ph16081101
Huang, Z. B., Wan, S. L., Lu, Y. J., Ning, L., Liu, C., & Fan, S. W. (2015). The combination effect of vitamin K and vitamin D on human bone quality: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Osteoporosis International, 26(3), 1175-1186. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00198-014-2989-6
Je, S. H., Joo, N. S., Choi, B. H., Kim, K. M., Kim, B. T., Park, S. B., Cho, D. Y., Kim, K. N., & Lee, D. J. (2011). Vitamin K supplement along with vitamin D and calcium reduced serum concentration of undercarboxylated osteocalcin while increasing bone mineral density in Korean postmenopausal women over sixty-years-old. Journal of Korean Medical Science, 26(8), 1093-1098. https://doi.org/10.3346/jkms.2011.26.8.1093
Iwamoto, J., Sato, Y., Takeda, T., & Matsumoto, H. (2009). High-dose vitamin K supplementation reduces fracture incidence in postmenopausal women: A review of the literature. Nutrition Research, 29(4), 221-228. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nutres.2009.03.012
Cheung, A. M., Tile, L., Lee, Y., Tomlinson, G., Hawker, G., Scher, J., Hu, H., Vieth, R., Thompson, L., Jamal, S., & Josse, R. (2008). Vitamin K supplementation in postmenopausal women with osteopenia (ECKO trial): A randomized controlled trial. PLoS Medicine, 5(10), e196. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.0050196
Skalny, A. V., Aschner, M., Tsatsakis, A., Rocha, J. B. T., Santamaria, A., Spandidos, D. A., Martins, A. C., Lu, R., Korobeinikova, T. V., Chen, W., Chang, J. S., Chao, J. C. J., & Li, C. (2024). Role of vitamins beyond vitamin D3 in bone health and osteoporosis. International Journal of Molecular Medicine, 53(1), 9. https://doi.org/10.3892/ijmm.2023.5333