Vitamin D
Vitamin D3 is found in nature almost exclusively in animal sources, particularly fish, dairy products, eggs and meat. Plants such as lichens also contain vitamin D, as do various fungi, which contain the less effective form of vitamin D2.
Vitamin D occupies a very special position among the vitamins. On the one hand, it is one of the few vitamins that we hardly consume through food, but instead produce in the skin with the help of the sun. On the other hand, vitamin D is not a vitamin in the classic sense, but rather a hormone precursor.
Unlike many other vitamins, it is converted in the body into an important hormone that regulates cell function and numerous bodily processes. Almost all body cells have special receptors for the vitamin D hormone and are dependent on a sufficient supply of vitamin D.
Vitamin D is still the subject of intensive research. New mechanisms of action of this fascinating vitamin are discovered almost every year. To date, the following statements on vitamin D have been authorised by the EU (EFSA):
Vitamin D contributes to
- normal absorption and utilisation of calcium and phosphorus
- normal calcium levels in the blood
- the maintenance of bones
- the maintenance of normal muscle function
- the maintenance of healthy teeth
- normal function of the immune system
- cell division
Vitamin K contributes to:
- normal blood clotting
- the maintenance of healthy bones
Vitamin K2 exists in various forms, which have different levels of effectiveness. Vitamin K2 MK-7 is considered by far the most effective form of K2 today. However, since vitamin K2 molecules occur in a variety chemical structures (the so-called cis–trans isomers of vitamin K2), there are considerable differences in efficacy even between different vitamin K2 MK-7 compounds. It is believed that only the trans forms can be utilised by the body.
