Why do we need vitamin D3 and K2 so much?

Vitamin D3 /cholecalciferol/ and K2 deficiency is a real epidemic in modern society.

Many serious health problems are due to long-term deficiency in the body of these two vitamins. Their lack of food affects the development and resistance of the immune, muscular, skeletal, nervous and endocrine systems.

Experts expect vitamin D deficiency in its two forms, ergocalciferol and cholecalciferol, to become the most common clinical condition in the world, due to the fact that most people do not get enough sunlight. The human body produces one form of vitamin D2 or ergocalciferol.

Vitamin D is perceived in scientific and medical circles more as a hormone than a vitamin because of its specific functions. Hormones are chemical agents that interact with cell receptors causing specific biological reactions.

The active form of vitamin D, calciferol, is perhaps the most functional hormone in the human body, inducing the activity of over 1,000 genes, which represent 5-10% of the human genome.

Vitamin D receptors are located throughout the nervous system and critical areas in the brain, including the hippocampus. Scientists have found that calciferol activates and deactivates enzymes in the brain and cerebrospinal fluid that are associated with nerve growth, synaptic density and neurotransmitter synthesis.

Cholecalciferol has been shown to help activate the production of glutathione in neurons, thus preventing their damage, most commonly due to oxidative stress. Vitamin D helps modulate the immune system, thus limiting the inflammation that occurs.

It is thought that in most people in older and middle age, vitamin D3 levels are most often low. In medical circles levels above 32 nanograms per milliliter of blood are considered sufficient.

However, many studies show that these amounts in the body are sufficient to prevent rickets but not to maintain the body in optimal health. Many authors of medical literature define the range 60-100 ng/ml. of vitamin D3 for optimal.

Vitamin K /phytonadione/ is attributed unique properties. Vitamin K1 is needed for the process of blood circulation and is found in green leafy vegetables. Its best sources are kale and collard greens and spinach. This form of phytonadione is necessary for the formation of the anticoagulant factors, protein factor C and S.

Vitamin K2 is needed for the transformation of a critical bone-building protein called osteocalcin – a necessary protein that helps maintain calcium homeostasis in bone tissue.

Osteocalcin interacts with osteoblast cells to build healthy bone tissue. Insufficient K2 inhibits the production of osteocalcin, which reduces the flow of calcium into bone tissue. This results in a decrease in bone mass and a weakening of the bone matrix.

Vitamin K2 is found in fermented milk products, fermented soybeans /natto – Japanese food/ and some fermented vegetables. In addition, in most cases of irritable bowel syndrome or a disturbed balance of the intestinal microflora /dysbiosis/, low levels of K2 are found. Most people do not get enough vitamin K2 in their diet because they do not consume fermented foods.

Vitamins D3 and K2 have a leading function in maintaining normal calcium metabolism, largely ensuring the accumulation of calcium in bone tissue.

Several studies attest to the synergistic effect of vitamin K2 and D3. Increased osteocalcin accumulation in bone cells was found in study participants when administered in combination. This enhanced formation of osteocalcin also significantly increases bone mineral density.