Things should be made as simple as possible, but no simpler.
—Albert Einstein Since you have already read about the amazing benefits of vitamin K2, you might be tempted to skip the rest of the book and rush out to the store to buy a menaquinone supplement or, though much less likely, some natto. But wait, there's more to the story. Below, I'll to give you the quick and dirty explanation of the essential relationship between the three fat-soluble vitamins, A, D and K2. Once you have read it, you may then rush out to the store, if you wish. If, however, you find fat-soluble nutrients simply fascinating, as I do, then please enjoy the rest of the chapter to get the whole story. You will learn practical information about vitamins A, D, and E and about beta-carotene, and we'll bust some myths along the way.
But first, here's the skinny on fat-soluble vitamins: vitamins A and D are required for the production of vitamin K2–dependent proteins, like osteocalcin and MGP (matrix gla protein), which have enormous potential health benefits. Vitamin K2 activates those proteins, allowing them to realize their potential and do their job in moving calcium around the body. Without adequate amounts of vitamins A and D, K2-dependent proteins are not made, so K2 is useless. Without adequate amounts of K2, the K2-dependent proteins produced by the influence of A and D cannot be activated and so remain useless. Working together, however, vitamins A, D and K2 are a mighty fat-soluble triumvirate.
A, D and K2: A Balancing Act
Vitamins A, D and K2 are intricately interrelated in complex ways that modern science doesn't yet entirely understand. That being said, the fundamental importance of these nutrients as the foundation of good health is so critical, yet so underappreciated, that this book would be incomplete
without a chapter devoted to their special relationship. As much as “Vitamin K2 is the ultimate supernutrient!” makes a great headline, the fact is that the benefits of K2 are dependent on vitamins A and D—and, for many aspects of health, the opposite is also true.
The fat-soluble vitamins, A, D and K2, are profoundly different from other nutrients. The biological role of most nutritional compounds, such as minerals and water-soluble vitamins, is to act as cofactors. A cofactor is a molecule that binds to a protein and is required for that protein's biological activity.
Almost every metabolic process in the body happens because of a protein, usually an enzyme. Minerals and water-soluble vitamins are the helper molecules that allow our body's proteins to function, which is why these nutrients are so important for health.
Vitamins A and D do not act as cofactors in the way other vitamins do. The roles of A and D are more fundamental: they regulate the activity of genes that cause cells to produce the proteins to which the minerals and water-soluble vitamins will bind. Vitamin K2—although it isn't known to affect genetic activity like A and D do—will also activate proteins, allowing them to bind calcium to do their job. It is for this reason that Dr. Weston Price referred to A, D and X (K2) as “activators.” These fat-soluble vitamins are required so our body can make use of all other nutrients. They are truly the foundation of health.
The relationship between A, D and K2 is well illustrated by an image I use when lecturing about these nutrients. It's of the Three Viro Brothers, a turn-of-the-19th-century acrobatic ensemble. Each brother represents a vitamin.
Vitamins A and D are at the base of the formation. Specifically, vitamin D is the brother on the left who is smiling at the camera. Everybody can see D; he is well known, popular, looking right at the audience. Similarly, vitamin D is currently the darling of the nutritional world. Good news about this nutrient is published every day, and it all gets top billing in the media. These days, everyone knows they need vitamin D.
Vitamin A is the brother with his head between D's legs. His face is obscured and his role in this trio is not as obvious as that of his brother, D. He even seems kind of weird and scary. Likewise, the health benefits of vitamin A are quite misunderstood and underappreciated. It has even been unjustly maligned for being toxic. But make no mistake, without A this pyramid would topple. Even with the benefits of K2, the current trend toward supplementing higher and higher doses of D will lead to an unhealthy balance without vitamin A to maintain the equilibrium.
Above it all is K2, the brother on top. It's obvious that without A and D, K2 would fall flat on his face. Indeed, menaquinone would be useless without vitamins A and D to regulate the production of K2-dependent proteins. On the other hand, you could argue that A and D don't really need K2 up there; they could have their own little balancing act. True, many of us have gotten by with little or no K2 in our diets for years and we're still standing. However, this stupendous feat realizes its awesome potential only with K2 perched on
top. Vitamins A and D collaborate to prop up vitamin K2, and we fully benefit from vitamins A and D only when we have K2 to complete the act and achieve optimal health.
In addition to their special relationship with vitamin K2, vitamins A and D have another unique feature that distinguishes them from other nutrients: they are obtained only from animal foods. Although this might be bad news for vegans, it does explain why A and D cross the boundaries of the terms
“hormone,” “prehormone” and “vitamin” (discussed further below). To fully appreciate the food sources and health benefits of vitamin K2's balancing partners, let's turn the spotlight on the information—and misinformation—
about these nutritional elements.