Vitamin D and K2

Vitamin D is one of the most essential vitamins in your body, in fact it isn’t really a vitamin it is a hormone!

Vitamin D is crucial for bone health but it is also critical for immune health, brain function, reproductive health, hearing and vision, regulating blood pressure and so much more.  A deficiency underlies a wide range of major health challenges.

If you often feel achey, tired, sick or ‘blue’ your body may be crying out for vitamin D3.  Other signs are cramps, skin problems, irritability, fatigue or weakness, frequent illness and even a sweaty head!

Without knowing it many people are dangerously deficient in this vitamin, it is a silent epidemic and can lead to osteoporosis, aches, pains and weakening of the bones.

So why are we so deficient?

One of the reasons is because we live in the Northern hemisphere and do not get much sunshine throughout the year. Sunshine is vital for Vitamin D3 production.

Other causes of deficiency are being over weight, over 40, diabetic or pre-diabetic, if you have stomach issues that prevent nutrient absorption, regular stress, if you are vegan or vegetarian, and if you do not have a balanced nutrient rich diet. However we also live in a stressful, polluted and nutrient depleted world, our stores are filled with foods that have been stripped of their vitamin content by sterile and mechanised production processes. Those foods that are fortified with vitamin D contain very small amounts and usually in an inferior and hard to absorb form.

Worst of all, we’re taught to be afraid of the sun and told to slather chemicals on our skin for ‘protection’.  It is important that you do not burn your skin in the sun, so if you have a delicate complexion after spending 15 to 20 minutes in the sun you can use a mineral sunscreen to protect your skin.  These sunscreens work in a very different way to the normal chemical sunscreens that absorb the sun’s rays and contain oxybenzone, a chemical that has hormone-disrupting properties.  They sit on your skin and deflect and block the sun’s rays thereby protecting your skin, your body and the environment because they do not contain any nasty chemicals. For more information search Sun Care in the link.

Vitamin D is absolutely invaluable for ensuring the body works properly.  Every cell in your body has a receptor for Vitamin D and the body needs it to maintain cellular integrity.  Without it, the function of nearly all your body’s major systems, are in jeopardy.

A deficiency can wreak havoc on bone and muscle health, cognitive function –  vitamin D helps protect brain cells, immune function.

It’s a powerful antioxidant, respiratory function, digestion, blood pressure and circulation, heart health – it helps to keep the heart strong and healthy.

Metabolism – it switches on up to 291 genes that control metabolic processes throughout the body,

Pancreatic function, sleep patterns, mood and emotional balance, and the reproductive system.

Vitamin D is a tool for calcium absorption and strong bones but then why has the incidence of osteoporosis continued to rise?

There is one big reason why vitamin D and calcium awareness has not been sufficient to prevent declining bone health, a largely overlooked factor, the need for vitamin K2.

Vitamin D3 and K2 work as a team, D3 gets calcium into your blood and K2 sends it to your bones. Vitamin K2 directs calcium in your body to your bones by releasing a protein hormone called osteocalcin, which locks calcium into the structure of your bones.

The problem with taking vitamin D alone is that it does not fully control where the calcium in your body ends up. That’s where vitamin K steps in. Vitamin K regulates calcium in your body by pushing the calcium to your bones where it is needed!

Research has shown that consuming vitamin D3 actually increases your body’s demand for vitamin K2, so it is essential to take them together.

Without Vitamin K2 calcium ends up clogging your arteries, leading to heart disease, or your kidneys leading to kidney stones.

Scientists used to believe that calcification was an irreversible and inevitable result of aging, but now we know that vitamin K2 offers potent protection. Research has demonstrated that it’s the most potent inhibitor of vascular calcification ever discovered

There are many forms of K2 and not all of them are created equal.  MK-7 is the most bioactive, absorbable and effective form and is in the Nutri formula that we have here at The Wyndham Centre.

So, to keep your body healthy and your bones strong get yourself some D3 with K2.

Wyndham Health