Basic supplement could stop ‘worrying consequences' of taking vitamin D tablets

Here is a basic supplement which could minimise your risk of developing the concerning side effect associated with a high dosage of vitamin D.

Any readers who live in a country where sunshine is scarce and a blanket of heavy cloud is daily occurrence will more than likely be familiar with doctors and health experts recommending a daily dose of vitamin D, especially during the colder months.

In fact, most of us should be dosing up on the sunshine vitamin, as a study released last year found that around 50 per cent of Brits had low vitamin D levels while one in six people reported to be taking supplements.

However before you head to your nearest health food shop it's worth double checking the recommended dosage.

Current NHS guidance warns people against taking more than 100 micrograms (4,000 IU) of vitamin D per day due to the increased risk of developing worrying side effects such as hypercalcemia.

For most people, taking supplements is part of the daily routine (Getty Stock Images)

Hypercalcemia is where excessively high levels of calcium in the blood which left untreated can lead to blood vessel calcification (BVC) and an increased risk of heart disease.

Fortunately there is a lesser known supplement which may reduce your risk of developing such complications, vitamin K.

What is vitamin K and what does it do to the body?

According to the NHS, vitamin K is a supplement which encourages blood clotting, which allows for wounds to heal.

There is also a strong suggestion that vitamin K can support bone health. Healthline adds that vitamin K can promote calcification of the bone while reducing calcification of soft tissues.

It goes on to add that while research is currently limited and ongoing, there are strong associations between vitamin K and a reduction in blood vessel calcification.

For example, one controlled study revealed that people who took daily vitamin K supplements every day for three years slowed BVC by six percent.

It's recommended that a person takes one microgram a day of vitamin K for each kilogram of their body weight.

As well as supplements, vitamin K can be found in some food groups (Getty Stock Images)

The research does conclude that further research is needed, a combination of vitamin D and K is beneficial.

What are natural sources of vitamin K?

If you're not a fan of knocking back a handful of supplements every morning, you'll be glad to learn that vitamin K is also naturally occurring in some foods.

These are:

• leafy green vegetables such as kale, spinach, Swiss chard, and collard greens
• vegetable oils (soybean, canola)
• some cereal grains