Best Vitamin D3 and K2 Benefits 2022
In recent weeks and months, several publications and studies have suggested that maintaining adequate levels of vitamin D would seem potentially beneficial in fighting the COVID-19 infection.
How do you know that your vitamin D level is adequate? Most people in the United States consume less than recommended amounts of vitamin D.
An analysis of data from the 2015–2016 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) found that average daily vitamin D intakes from foods and beverages were 5.1 mcg (204 IU) in men, 4.2 mcg (168 IU) in women, and 4.9 mcg (196 IU) in children aged 2–19 years (NHANES).
Is It Better to Take D3 With K2?
What Are The Benefits Of Vitamin D3 and K2?
This is likely because vitamin D gets the calcium into the blood, then vitamin K tells the calcium where it is most needed.
Taking vitamin D3 and K2 together actually promotes new bone growth. In 2019, researchers observed that vitamin D3 and K2 worked in tandem to form new osteoblasts, the cells that secrete osteocalcin, which is a biomarker for new bone growth.
Best Vitamin D3 and K2 Supplement Brands in 2021
Here are the best vitamin D3 and K2 supplements that you can buy today.
3. Now Foods Vitamin D3 & K2 (120 Veg Caps)
– Plus Cardiovascular Support
– Non-GMO
– Family Owned Since 1968
– GMP Quality Assured
3mg Vitamin C (1 capsule)
Ratings
Reviews
6. Live Conscious Vitamin K2 MK7 with D3 Supplement
Immune Booster:
Bone Health Support:
Boosts Healthy Blood Circulation:
Heart Healthy Formula:
Dosage
Ratings
7. Organic Vitamin D3 K2 Drops with MCT Oil Omega 3 (Nusava) - Best Organic Vitamin D3 and K2 Supplement
FAQ
What Does Vitamin D Do in Your Body?
Vitamin D needs to undergo two conversion steps to become active (Source, Source).
First, it is converted to calcidiol, or 25(OH)D, in your liver. This is the storage form of the vitamin.
Second, it is converted to calcitriol, or 1,25(OH)2D, mostly in your kidneys. This is the active, steroid-hormone form of vitamin D.
Calcitriol interacts with the vitamin D receptor (VDR), which is found in almost every single cell in your body (Trusted Source, Trusted Source).
When the active form of vitamin D binds to this receptor, it turns genes on or off, leading to changes in your cells. This is similar to how most other steroid hormones work (Trusted Source, Trusted Source).
Vitamin D affects various cells related to bone health. For example, it promotes the absorption of calcium and phosphorus from your gut (Trusted Source).
Vitamin D3 dan D2
In fact, vitamin D3 supplements appear to be more effective at raising vitamin D levels than D2 supplements.
Vitamin D ensures that your blood levels of calcium are high enough to meet your body’s demands. However, vitamin D does not fully control where the calcium in your body ends up. That’s where vitamin K steps in. Vitamin K2 supplements have been proven to be more effective than vitamin K1. That’s why most of the top vitamin D supplement brands do combine their vitamin D3 with K2.
Signs and Symptoms of Vitamin D Deficiency
Vitamin D deficiency is one of the most common nutrient deficiencies.
Some people are at a greater risk than others. In the United States, 41.6% of the total population is deficient, although minorities fare worse — 82.1% and 69.2% of blacks and Hispanics are deficient, respectively (Trusted Source).
Additionally, older adults are at a much greater risk of being deficient (Trusted Source).
Those who have certain diseases are also very likely to be deficient. One study showed that 96% of people who had experienced heart attacks were low in vitamin D (Trusted Source).
Overall, vitamin D deficiency is a silent epidemic.
The symptoms are usually subtle and may take years or decades to surface.
The most well-known symptom of vitamin D deficiency is rickets, a bone disease common in children in developing countries.
Rickets has been mostly eliminated from Western countries because of the fortification of some foods with vitamin D (Trusted Source).
Deficiency is also linked to osteoporosis, reduced mineral density, and increased risk of falls and fractures in older adults.
What’s more, studies indicate that people with low vitamin D levels have a much greater risk of heart disease, diabetes (types 1 and 2), cancer, dementia, and autoimmune diseases like multiple sclerosis (Trusted Source).
Finally, vitamin D deficiency is linked to a reduced life expectancy (Trusted Source, Trusted Source, Trusted Source).
Vitamin D3 and K2 Vitamin Supplement Benefits
Taking both magnesium and vitamin K2 can lower your vitamin D requirement.
Eggs (44 IU per egg), along with fortified foods including milk and some cereals are excellent sources.
To maintain healthy levels, only 400 to 800 IU (15 to 20 mcg) of vitamin D is required daily, but, to boost low levels, higher doses, such as 2,000 IU daily, are used and are generally safe.
Vitamin D in COVID 19
In recent weeks and months, there’s been an upshot of studies demonstrating the benefits of vitamin D against COVID-19. The evidence is so compelling, more than 100 doctors, scientists and leading authorities have signed an open letter calling for increased use of vitamin D in the fight against COVID-19.
The largest observational study to date, looked at data for 191,779 American patients who were tested for SARS-CoV-2 between March and June 2020 and had had their vitamin D tested sometime in the preceding 12 months.
Of those with a vitamin D level below 20 ng/ml (deficiency), 12.5% tested positive for SARS-CoV-2, compared to 8.1% of those who had a vitamin D level between 30 and 34 ng/ml (adequacy) and 5.9% of those who had an optimal vitamin D level of 55 ng/ml or higher.
Data from 14 observational studies — suggest that vitamin D blood levels are negatively correlated with the incidence and/or severity of COVID-19; meaning if your vitamin D level is high, your risk for COVID-19 is low and vice versa.
A study published in November 2020 from Singapore (CW Tan, Nutrition 2020) –
Another study, published in JAMA (JAMA Netw Open – Sep 2020) found that persons who are likely to have deficient vitamin D levels at the time of COVID-19 testing were at substantially higher risk of testing positive for COVID-19 than were persons who were likely to have sufficient levels.
The same team above, has also published a preprint article: A study at the University of Chicago of over 4,000 patients that found that untreated vitamin D deficiency was associated with an increased risk for COVID-19 infection.
What is the Reference Daily Intake (RDI) for vitamin D?
How much vitamin D3 should I take? The RDI for vitamin D is as follows (NIH):
- 400 IU (10 mcg): infants, 0–12 months
- 600 IU (15 mcg): children and adults, 1–70 years old
- 800 IU (20 mcg): older adults (seniors) and pregnant or breastfeeding women
Vitamin D Dosage Recommendations
However, many experts believe the guidelines are far too low (Trusted Source).
Your vitamin D needs depend on a variety of factors. These include your age, skin color, current blood vitamin D levels, location, sun exposure and more.
To reach blood levels linked to better health outcomes, many studies have shown that you need to consume more vitamin D than the guidelines recommend (Trusted Source, Trusted Source, Trusted Source).
For instance, an analysis of five studies examined the link between vitamin D blood levels and colorectal cancer (Trusted Source).
Scientists found that people with the highest blood levels of vitamin D (over 33 ng/ml or 82.4 nmol/l) had a 50% lower risk of colorectal cancer than people with the lowest levels of vitamin D (less than 12 ng/ml or 30 nmol/l).
Research also shows that consuming 1,000 IU (25 mcg) daily would help 50% of people reach a vitamin D blood level of 33 ng/ml (82.4 nmol/l). Consuming 2,000 IU (50 mcg) daily would help nearly everyone reach a blood level of 33 ng/ml (82.4 nmol/l) (Trusted Source, Trusted Source, Trusted Source).
According to Dr John Campbell:
- Deficiency: Less than 20 ng/ml (50 nmol/L)
- Insufficiency: 21 – 29 ng/ml (52 – 72 nmol/L)
- Sufficiency: More than 30 ng/ml (75 nmol/L)
Based on current research, it seems that consuming 1,000–4,000 IU (25–100 mcg) of vitamin D daily should be ideal for most people to reach healthy vitamin D blood levels.
Best Vitamin D Supplement for Absorption?
Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin, meaning that it does not dissolve in water and is absorbed best in your bloodstream when paired with high-fat foods.
For this reason, it’s recommended to take vitamin D supplements with a meal to enhance absorption.
According to one study in 17 people, taking vitamin D with the largest meal of the day increased vitamin D blood levels by about 50% after just 2–3 months (NIH).
In another study in 50 older adults, consuming vitamin D alongside a fat-heavy meal increased vitamin D blood levels by 32% after 12 hours compared to a fat-free meal (NIH).
Avocados, nuts, seeds, full-fat dairy products and eggs are nutritious sources of fat that help boost your vitamin D absorption.
What is the Best Vitamin D Foods?
| Food | Amount | % RDI |
| Cod liver oil, 1 tablespoon (15 ml) | 1,360 IU / 34 mcg | 227% |
| Salmon, cooked, 3 ounces (85 grams) | 447 IU / 11 mcg | 75% |
| Tuna, canned in water, 3 ounces (85 grams) | 154 IU / 4 mcg | 26% |
| Beef liver, cooked, 3 ounces (85 grams) | 42 IU / 1 mcg | 7% |
| 1 large whole egg (D is found in yolk) | 41 IU / 1 mcg | 7% |
| 1 sardine, canned in oil, drained | 23 IU / 0.6 mcg | 4% |
Although fatty fish like salmon, mackerel, swordfish, trout, tuna, and sardines are decent sources, you would have to eat them almost every day to get enough.
The only excellent dietary source of vitamin D is fish liver oil — such as cod liver oil — which contains upwards of two times the Reference Daily Intake (RDI) in a single tablespoon (15 ml).
Keep in mind that dairy products and cereals are often fortified with vitamin D (NIH).
Some rare mushrooms also harbor vitamin D, and egg yolks contain small amounts.