Buy more, save more - Up to 20% off
Recent studies clearly demonstrate that vitamin D3 and vitamin K2 are essential to good health. Deficiencies in both these vitamins are extremely common, which is why more and more people are taking vitamins D3 and K2 as a daily dietary supplement.
It's very important to know that if you take vitamin D3 regularly over a long period, you definitely need to take vitamin K2 as well. This raises the question of how these two key vitamins should best be combined in order to promote health and vitality.
Vitamin D3 helps your body absorb calcium from the diet. But without enough vitamin K2, that calcium may not be directed where it’s needed such as your bones and teeth and can instead end up in soft tissues like arteries, potentially leading to calcification and arteriosclerosis.
Vitamin K2 activates specific proteins such as osteocalcin and matrix Gla-protein (MGP) that:
In short: Vitamin D3 increases calcium availability, while vitamin K2 ensures it’s used properly.
Taking vitamin D increases the body’s production of vitamin K2-dependent proteins. But without enough K2, these proteins remain inactive, and calcium can go to the wrong places. Together, D3 and K2:
The right vitamin K2 dosage depends on your age, health status, and whether you're taking vitamin D3:
Vitamin K2 Dosage | Who It’s For |
---|---|
45 mcg/day | - People on vitamin K antagonist anticoagulants - Healthy individuals under 50 not taking D3 supplements |
100 mcg/day | - Healthy individuals - Anyone taking up to 2,500 IU of vitamin D3/day |
200 mcg/day | - People with a family history or symptoms of cardiovascular disease or osteoporosis - Anyone taking more than 2,500 IU of vitamin D3/day |
Important: If you’re taking anticoagulants, consult your doctor before using vitamin K2 supplements.
Your body makes vitamin D3 through sun exposure, but most people don’t get enough year-round. Aim for a blood level of 50–80 ng/ml of 25(OH)D.
Vitamin D3 Dosage | When to Use It |
---|---|
2,500–5,000 IU/day | For most people to maintain optimal levels |
>5,000 IU/day | Only with regular blood testing every 3 months |
Vitamin K2 activates two vital proteins:
Without vitamin K2, calcium can accumulate in the wrong places—even when taking vitamin D3. This imbalance can contribute to:
Vitamin D3 and vitamin K2 are a powerful team that work best when taken together. If you’re supplementing with vitamin D3, don’t overlook K2. The right balance supports your bones, heart, and overall health while avoiding the risks of misplaced calcium.
Recommended products
Related blogs
Buying Vitamin K2 - what you need to know!
If you want to buy vitamin K2, you have come to the right place. With us you will find 100% natural vitamin K2 products of the highest quality, guaranteed free of additives and allergens. Before you buy vitamin K2 tablets, capsules or drops, you can find out here what you need to consider.
Vitamin K2 plays an important role in bone stability and bone health, especially in combination with vitamin D and calcium. The vitamin is also important for cell health and numerous other body processes.
Vitamin D dosage - This much is really necessary
Different organizations recommend varying doses of vitamin D. For example, in cases where vitamin D formation through sunlight is deficient, the DGE currently recommends a dose of 400 IU for infants up to 1 year of age and 800 IU for children, adolescents, adults, seniors, and pregnant and nursing women.
According to vitamin D experts this recommendation is too low and only represents the minimum daily intake required to stave off rickets.
Vitamin D: Vital for health
Vitamin D ensures healthy bones and is involved in a variety of metabolic processes in the human body. In contrast to all other vitamins, the need can't be met through nutrition alone; and a lack of the vitamin can cause serious illnesses. An adequate supply of vitamin D is therefore important.
How to determine the Vitamin D3 level
You can measure your vitamin D levels by using a blood test to determine if you have enough vitamin D in your body. In fact, not the active form of vitamin D is measured, but the concentration of 25(OH)D (25-hydroxyvitamin D) in the blood.
The 25 (OH)D value is a precursor of vitamin D, in which form is is transported in the blood. If necessary, this form is converted into the active form of vitamin D (calcitriol).
The 25 (OH)D value shows how much vitamin D you got through nutrition or produced during sun exposure. But this value does not tell you anything about your vitamin D levels throughout the year, which will vary depending on the sun exposure and vitamin D uptake from food.
The half-life of 25(OH) Vitamin D is 2 month. This means, that the vitamin D level will fall to half of its value, provided that you no longer get any vitamin D at all.