Why Vitamin D3 Can Be Harmful Without K2

What exactly does vitamin D3 do?

In the Netherlands we are blessed with a beautiful alternation between four seasons. Unfortunately, this also has disadvantages, such as a shortage of essential substances for our body. The most important shortage in the autumn and winter months is vitamin D. Our body produces 90% of vitamin D in our skin, through exposure to sunlight. In order to produce sufficient vitamin D, it is therefore important to be exposed to sufficient sunlight, because it cannot be obtained from food. Due to the seasons, but also due to our lifestyle that nowadays increasingly takes place indoors, we often have a shortage of sunlight and therefore of vitamin D.

A deficiency can have unpleasant consequences for our health. Vitamin D plays a role in many functions in our body. For example, it contributes to the renewal of our cells and has a positive effect on our immune system. Furthermore, vitamin D is of great importance for maintaining strong teeth and bones. This is because vitamin D is responsible for the absorption of calcium in the body that we ingest through our food. Vitamin D ensures absorption from the intestines to our bloodstream, so that calcium can be transported through our body.

All this makes vitamin D an essential substance to get enough of every day. It is therefore not surprising that vitamin D is often taken extra, especially during the short and cold winter days. Unfortunately, supplementation does not always have the desired effect. The main reason for this is that insufficient attention is paid to the role of another essential substance in the process: vitamin K2.

Vitamin D3 useless without vitamin K2

The main function of vitamin D3 - the absorption of calcium from the intestines into the bloodstream - is completely ineffective without vitamin K2. The main function of K2 is that it transports calcium in our body to places that need this mineral, such as bones and teeth. Without vitamin K2, calcium that is absorbed by vitamin D3 will float around in the body or will remain accumulated in the blood vessels. This can lead to arteriosclerosis and calcium will accumulate in the body in unwanted places.

For example, if the calcium ends up in your kidneys, it can lead to kidney stones. If it ends up in your arteries, it can lead to heart problems. This is also where the rumor comes from that vitamin D3 can possibly lead to heart problems. The cause of this, however, is a deficiency of K2. As a result, the calcium is not transported to the places where it is needed, but accumulates where it is not needed.

Difficult to get vitamin K2

Taking vitamin D3 would not cause any problems if there is enough vitamin K2 in our body. Unfortunately, many people appear to have a K2 deficiency. The reason for this is that it can only be obtained in two ways:

• Via vitamin K1 - The easiest way to get vitamin K2 is via its brother vitamin K1. This K1 can be found in foods such as cabbage, spinach, turnip greens, kale and dark green lettuce. After ingestion of K1, it is converted into vitamin K2 in our intestines by a specific bacterium. That is the problem: only a few people have healthy intestinal flora in which this bacterium can be found. This makes it impossible for most people to convert K1 into K2.
  
  
• Through food - Vitamin K2 can also be obtained through our food. For example, it is found in Natto, a fermented soybean from Japan that is difficult to obtain in the Netherlands. K2 is also found in fermented milk products, such as brie. However, there is a problem with this. Animals get K2 in the same way as humans, by converting K1 (which is found in grass) into K2 in the intestines. As you can imagine, the animal products must come from animals that only eat fresh grass and that have very good intestinal flora (do not receive antibiotics) so that they can convert K1 into K2. This is not very easy to find.

Getting enough vitamin K2 is not always easy. In any case, it is important to pay attention to this. When you take D3 via supplementation, it is advisable to do this in combination with vitamin K2. In this way, you get both vitamins at the same time and the vitamin K2 directly supports the functions of vitamin D3.