July 10, 2026Wellness

The hidden deficiency you didn't know: D3+K2

What is Vitamin D3 and K2, their importance, benefits, effects on our overall health. 

What is Vitamin D and what are its health benefits?

Vitamin D is a pleiotropic hormone having a well-established function in skeletal integrity. It also has as a wide involvement in physiological processes like inflammation, cellular proliferation, immune regulation as well as energy homeostasis. Extra skeletal functions extend to its role in cancer mortality, protection against auto-immune disorders , decreased risk in acute disorders and many more.

Vitamin D has strong clinical evidence with multiple research studies directing at its function in skeletal health aiding in the prevention of diseases like rickets, osteomalacia, respiratory infection like COVID- 19. Apart from this Vitamin D has a prominent effect on people with cardiovascular disease, obesity as well as metabolic disorders (Dalamaga et al., 2026).

Vitamin D can be categorized in the following two broad groups:

• Vitamin D2 or ergocalciferol which is derived from plants and commonly used in food fortification

• Vitamin D3 or cholecalciferol which is synthesized in the human skin from 7 dehydrocholesterol and mainly obtained from dietary sources of animal origin.

How does our Body synthesize Vitamin D3 from sunshine?

Vitamin D also known as sunshine vitamin has been produced for more than 50 million years. During exposure to sunlight, our skin has 7 dehydrocholesterol in the skin which absorbs UV B and is converted to pre-vitamin D3 which eventually isomerizes into Vitamin D3.

Pre-vitamin and Vitamin D3 absorb the UVB radiation which is converted into various types of photoproducts having several biological properties.

Why are most Indians still suffering from Vitamin D deficiency despite good sun exposure?

However, Vitamin D synthesis through normal sunshine is actually a lengthy and tedious process which is highly influenced by various factors summarized as followed

• Season

• The time of the day

• Altitude

• Latitude

• Air pollution

• Skin pigmentation

• Sunscreen use

• Aging

• Glass

Recent Rise in Vitamin D3 Deficiency:

Vitamin D3 serves as a major mediator between the endocrine and the immune systems where the functions are extending beyond its usual role in the calcium phosphorous homeostasis. Thus, it is required in a number of physiological processes. Low vitamin D3 deficiency have reached an alarming stage affecting over one billion individuals globally, representing a modifiable risk factor considering immune mediated diseases. Vitamin D3 is instrumental in the regulation of these following physiological processes

• Vitamin D3’s most important and classic role is the regulation of blood calcium through intestinal absorption, facilitating calcium reabsorption in the kidneys and collaborating with the parathyroid hormone aiding bone mineralization.

• Vitamin D3 also mediates immune homeostasis through various ways like Vitamin D receptor signalling affecting innate and adaptive immunity.

• This vitamin also helps maintain the balance between antimicrobial defects as well as inflammatory suppression by inhibiting major pro inflammatory pathways like the NOD like receptor protein 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome, nuclear factor κB (NF-κB) while affecting various antioxidant defence systems (Liu et al., 2026).

What is Vitamin K2?

Vitamin K2 is an important component of blood clotting. Again, like Vitamin D3, there are 2 types of Vitamin K

• Vitamin K1 – Also known as phylloquinone K1 is found in plant foods like leafy green vegetables

• Vitamin K2 – Also known as menaquinone K2 is found in animal foods as well as fermented foods which is produced by gut bacteria

Vitamin K2 could be further divided into the following categories:

o MK-4

o MK-7

Are we receiving enough Vitamin K2 through our diet?

Vitamins especially Vit K2 is not found in junk food, it is rarely consumed in an average healthy western diet. Considering the modernization in food manufacturing process, Vit K amount in food have also decreased considerably, increasing the need of external supplementation. This is concerning because Vit K deficiency results in the inadequate activation of the Matrix GLA protein impairing calcium removal process increasing calcification risks in the blood vessels. In other words, an increased Vit K2 intake is a direct means of lowering calcium associated health risks in both men and women. A new clinical study shows that Vit K2 supplementation has shown an direct improvement in arterial elasticity as well as regression in arterial stiffening. Moreover, Vit K2 plays a dual role, reducing vitamin deficiency related disorders and optimizing the calcium use, preventing potential negative health impacts associated with an increased calcium or reduced vitamin K2 intake (Katarzyna Maresz, 2015).  