Vitamin D3 & Vitamin K2 Bone Health, Mood 90 Capsules

Manufactured in the UK to Eu safety standards. Junipers D3 and K2 combo are a trusted source.

Every autumn, leading into winter, the sun sets further and further into the south. The days get shorter and the sun’s rays diminish in duration and intensity. This is when D3—”the sunshine vitamin”—blood levels drop in sun-exposed mammals.

That imperceptible signal results in profound behavioral changes that are easily observed in foxes, bears, and many other land roaming creatures: their activity slows while their foraging increases. They are fattening up their calorie stores for the long winter’s hibernation.

With the advent of spring, the bright summer sun’s UVB rays once again bathe their skin and fur. This is where abundant D3 is synthesized from the photo-transformation of cholesterol. This hormone-like vitamin slowly absorbs into the blood stream where it is delivered to the liver, then to the kidneys, where it is finally converted into the activated form of vitamin D.

Rising levels of activated D signals renewed growth, heightened metabolic activity, better immunity, sharpened reproductive instincts, and accelerated tissue repair/regeneration. For millions of years, rising vitamin D levels were synonymous with health, healing and vitality in our mammalian relatives.

Recalibrating Vitamin D Standards

Because vitamin D is a fat soluble vitamin, the medical standard, until recently, was limited to only 400 IU (International Units) per day. T

Putting Safe D3 Dosing in Perspective

Up until recently, the highest dose of vitamin D3 we typically recommended at the Riordan Clinic was 50,000 IU as a convenient once a week dose. Our maximum daily dose was 5,000 IU. This is a very safe dose as is documented on the website of the Vitamin D Council.  Children can safely take about 1000 IU for every 25 lbs. of body weight.

Because an accurate LD50 for cholecalciferol in humans has never been determined (thank God!) most researchers use the LD50 for dogs as an estimate for humans. Using a hypothetical human subject weighing 110 pounds: in order to reach the LD50 dose, that subject would need to consume over 3,500 of the 50,000 IU D3 caps in a 24 hour period (146 capsules an hour) in order to have a 50% chance of dying.

Of course there are other toxicity and sensitivity issues that can arise in the human consumption of vitamin D3. Generally these can be avoided by having your 25(OH)D level measured once a year and keeping it around 60 ng/dl for optimal health.

Keep in mind that we evolved from primitive, naked humans who lived near the equator, and who, like swimming pool life guards, got around 10,000 IU of D3 from the sun on a regular basis. Canadian researcher Dr. Reinhold Vieth has studied the question of D3 toxicity extensively and states categorically that there is no published evidence for this causing toxicity in adults taking 10,000 IU of a daily D3 supplement.

D3:K2—The Birth of a Superhero Combo

Speaking of team work, vitamin D3’s natural partner is vitamin K2. The genius of this combo begins with proper respect for D3’s function of powerfully enhancing calcium absorption. Recent research has shown that excessive calcium intake alone can be harmful to the body. The additional calcium must be correctly utilized or it can show up in the wrong places and cause disease.

Vitamin K2 activates several important proteins in the body. Henrick Dam, a Danish researcher, discovered vitamin K in 1939 (and won the Nobel Prize for his discovery in 1943). Because the Danish word for blood clotting was koagulation, Dam named the molecule vitamin K. Vitamin K is essential for the functioning of eight proteins involved in blood clotting.

The correct understanding is that vitamin K, through a chemical step called carboxylation, REGULATES and balances the coagulation system as a whole. Keep in mind that the coagulation system stands ready to CLOT if you are hemorrhaging to death, but it must also PREVENT THE CLOT if there are no lacerations or bleeding points. The eight proteins counter-regulate one another in this balancing act. Vitamin K is needed for this amazing feat.

Activation of the vascular GMP protein is crucial in preventing calcification of coronary and carotid arteries. This explains the 50+% reduction in heart disease in regular vitamin K users. This same protein may also prevent bone spurs. Vitamin K is thus helping us age better with “hard bones and soft arteries”…not the other way around.

Finally, like vitamin D3, strong evidence demonstrates vitamin K’s amazing ability to reduce cancer risk. For example, men taking vitamin K2 mk7 (a naturally occurring long acting form of K2) at 45 mcg a day can statistically reduce their risk of prostate cancer by 60%! That is just one of many cancer risks that are reduced significantly by regular K2 ingestion.

Further reading - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5613455/