If you told your patients that there were three vitamins that could make the difference between optimum health and being at risk for heart disease, brittle bones, a weak immune system, and living with brain fog, would they guess that vitamins A, D3, and K2 were the ones? It may sound surprising, but in the proper form these vitamins can:

• Strengthen the heart and cardiovascular system
• Build and preserve strong bones
• Bolster immune defenses
• Preserve cognitive strength
• Maintain a positive mood and state of mind

Three Nutrients, Many Roles

One of the easiest things to forget when it comes to nutrients and good health is that the basics are incredibly important.

Three familiar but critical vitamins are vitamin A, vitamin D3, and vitamin K2. Alone, any one of them is essential, but together they are an all-star team for optimal health and well-being.

Strengthens the Heart and Cardiovascular System

There’s no doubt that calcium is incredibly important. Beyond building strong bones, it plays a key role in cell signaling, blood clotting, and muscle contractions—including that most important muscle, the heart. But as people get older, calcium can build up in the heart and the arteries, making arteries and blood vessels stiff and inflexible, and increase the risk of blood clots, strokes, and heart attacks.

Fortunately, research shows that a specific form of vitamin K2 and D3 can help keep calcium in its proper places and in the right proportions. A Dutch study found that individuals with a higher dietary intake of vitamin K2 in a form called menaquinone 7 had a lower risk of death from coronary heart disease. Other work examining patients with kidney disease, who develop calcium deposits at twice the rate of the general population, found that patients with the lowest intake of menaquinone 7 had significantly higher levels of arterial calcification.

Vitamin K2 as menaquinone 7 activates naturally occurring proteins in the body including matrix GLA-protein (MGP) and osteocalcin which inhibits its accumulation in the cardiovascular system and helps it absorb into the bones to keep them strong.

Additionally,  this form of the vitamin reduces levels of an inactive form of MGP (dp-ucMGP) that would otherwise lead to calcium deposits in the arteries. One clinical study found that for those at risk, vitamin K2/menaquinone 7 cut the levels of harmful dp-ucMGP in half and reduced arterial stiffness in menopausal women – an especially at-risk group.

Vitamin D3 is critical for the cardiovascular system, too. It is used by the epithelial cells that line the blood vessels and arteries, and as a result moderates blood pressure levels as well.  A Finnish review found that people with the highest vitamin D levels showed a 30 percent lower risk of hypertension. Conversely, the Framingham Heart Study reported that low blood levels of the nutrient were associated with a 60 percent increased risk of dying from heart failure.

Vitamin D3 works in tandem with vitamin K2, increasing the expression of vitamin K-dependent proteins that prevent arterial stiffening.

Similarly, vitamins A and D appear to work together promoting the communication between cells  involved with the regulation of calcium. Vitamin A reduces inflammatory markers that put heart disease patients at risk and may slow the hardening of the arteries by boosting T-helper cell activity.

Builds and Preserves Strong Bones

Vitamins A, D3, and K2 are incredibly important to building and maintaining strong bones. Clinical studies have found a positive correlation between vitamin A intake and bone density in women aged 65 to 80 years old. Another clinical study found comparable results for both men and women regarding bone mass density in the femoral neck and hip. However, there was one catch; these positive results were only seen in individuals with moderate and elevated levels of vitamin D.

That’s not surprising since vitamin D is essential for calcium and other mineral absorption into the bones. In fact, one analysis found that daily high dose (defined here as 800 IU) vitamin D supplementation reduced nonvertebral fractures by at least 20 percent in individuals aged 65 and older.

Vitamin K2 as menaquinone 7 is key here as well. It activates osteocalcin, a protein required to bind calcium to the mineral matrix of the bones. So there’s a great interconnectivity between the jobs these nutrients perform in both the cardiovascular and skeletal systems. But of course, that’s not where their roles end. They are required for a strong immune system, too.

Bolsters Immune Defenses

More than ever before, the connection between strong nutrients and a robust immune system is becoming better accepted and well-recognized.

Vitamin A moderates the activity of key immune system cells – macrophage and natural killer cells – when individuals are especially vulnerable to bacterial or viral attack. It promotes strong antibody actions, B and T-helper cell activity, and the regeneration of mucosal epithelial cells as a barrier against infection.

Vitamin D3 has a well-deserved reputation as an immune strengthening nutrient, in part, because it can reduce susceptibility to allergies, respiratory ailments, and viral infections. In fact, one review found that each significant increase in vitamin D (10 nmol/l) was associated with a seven percent lower risk of infection.

For a strong respiratory system, vitamin K2 is key as well. Early clinical research found that treatment with vitamin K2 could help reduce symptoms and severity of bronchial asthma, and more recently, some researchers believe that vitamin K2 deficiency may be another factor in disease severity or mortality for individuals with COVID-19. That’s because the way vitamin K2 promotes healthy MGP doesn’t just help blood vessels stay flexible and strong, it helps a key protein in the lungs called elastin stay that way, too.

Keeps the Mind Sharp and Mood Positive

Vitamin A is critical for brain cell activity, mental plasticity and learning, and sending signals to nerves and muscles. Without sufficient levels of the nutrient, individuals may be more susceptible to memory loss and cognitive decline.

Vitamin D is likewise involved with some of the same concerns, being a primary nutrient for nerve regeneration, signaling, and overall central nervous system activity. Vitamin K2 can protect nerves from inflammatory or oxidative damage.

Low levels of vitamin D have been associated with an increase in depression. Supplementation may help, especially for individuals with serious deficiencies or genetic polymorphisms that prevent efficient, natural vitamin D synthesis from sunlight.

Vitamin D status can also affect sleep patterns, as a review in the journal Nutrients reported. They found that individuals with the lowest levels of vitamin D also experience shorter sleep duration, poor sleep quality, and overall sleepiness during the day.

Additionally, vitamin D3 may be a key to preserving cognitive health. A clinical study found that individuals 65 and older supplementing with vitamin D for 12 months significantly improved scores in a variety of tests, including full-scale intelligence quotient (a test of complete intelligence), verbal short-term memory, vocabulary, block design (matching color patterns printed on blocks), and picture arrangement scores (creating a rational narrative by rearranging random comic-like panels so they present a proper story).

Three Nutrients for Many Reasons

In the proper forms, vitamins A, D3, and K2 can strengthen arteries, bones, immune responses, and overall cognitive and emotional health. These powerful nutrients are more than basics – they are key to living with vitality in body and mind every day.