Vitamin D3 & K2

Did you know?
Most adults should get 1,000–2,000 international units (IU) of vitamin D3 daily. Some foods, like fatty fish and fortified dairy products, contain this vitamin, but it is difficult to get enough through your diet alone. As a result, vitamin D deficiency is one of the most common nutritional deficiencies in the world.

A study published in The Lancet Global Health including 21 000 people living in 23 African countries found severe vitamin D deficiency in 18% of the participants, suggesting that Africa could be the continent with the highest frequency of severe vitamin D deficiency in the world.

Do you suffer from:
• Frequent illness or infections
• Fatigue and tiredness
• Bone and back pain
• Depression, mood swings, sleep disturbances
• Impaired wound healing
• Bone loss, osteoporosis, bone fractures, and muscle weakness.
• Anxiety (Vitamin D deficiency is linked to anxiety disorders.)
• Low vitamin D levels have been linked with heart disease
• In children, a vitamin D deficiency can cause rickets. (a disease of children caused by vitamin D deficiency, characterized by imperfect calcification, softening, and distortion of the bones typically resulting in bowlegs).
• Research has implicated Vitamin D deficiency in such neurological diseases as Alzheimer’s Syndrome and Multiple Sclerosis.

What is Vitamin D3?

Vitamin D3 is a fat-soluble vitamin, found in animal products, that plays a critical role in the proper functioning of your body, including bone health and immunity.

Vitamin D is sometimes called the “sunshine vitamin” since people naturally get it from sunlight (UVB rays). Though vitamin D2 is the vitamin you get from sunshine, most scientific studies are conducted using vitamin D3, as that’s what you can absorb best from dietary supplements.

Benefits of Vitamin D3:

• Supports strong bones
• Promotes a healthy immune system
• Prevents gastrointestinal disease
• Improves cardiovascular health
• Boosts brain health
• Improves mood

Symptoms of vitamin K deficiency include:

• Bruising easily
• Bleeding that doesn’t stop
• Blood clots under your nails
• Red or black stool

What is Vitamin K2?

Vitamin K2 (specifically menaquinone 7, a form of K2) is actually produced in small amounts by bacteria in your gut. You also find K2 in animal products like fatty fish and grass-fed beef, or in fermented foods. 

Benefits of Vitamin K2

• Helps your body use calcium more efficiently, which impacts the health of bones and teeth.
• Lowers calcium levels in your soft tissues, ensuring healthy blood vessels and kidneys.

How do Vitamin D3 And K2 Work Together?

On their own, Vitamin D3 and K2 both promote a healthy lifestyle. Together, they are even better. New research into vitamin D3 and K2 has given way to new multivitamin dietary supplements that could unlock unique health benefits to fight ageing from the inside out.

• Bone Health: Half of adults over 50 years of age have low bone mass. Bone health is a real concern as we get older. Fortunately, the pairing of vitamin D3 and K2 seems to improve bone health across the board.
• Cardiovascular Health: Cardiovascular disease is responsible for 1 in 6 deaths (17.3%) in South Africa. Vitamin D3 and K2 work together to improve our cardiovascular health.
• Fights Diabetes: 4.5 million South Africans, which represent 13% of the population, suffers from Diabetes. The combination of vitamin D3 and K2 together reduces insulin resistance.

Selenium

Selenium Glycinate helps transport D3 into deep tissue and organs for better absorption in the body. It helps Vitamin K2 incorporate calcium into bones. Vitamin D3 aids calcium absorption into the blood.