Magnesium and calcium work synergistically in the body’s muscle cells – magnesium causes muscle fibers to relax, while calcium causes them to contract – helping to prevent muscle cramping and supporting healthy heart rate and rhythm (the heart is a muscle too!).* 

The ratio of calcium-to-magnesium in Thorne's Cal-Mag Citrate + Vitamin C is ideal for individuals who want a higher amount of calcium but, due to magnesium's potential laxative effect, can’t tolerate an equal amount of magnesium.* Because of the highly absorbable forms of these two minerals, you get higher amounts of essential minerals and minimize capsule fatigue. 

Why is calcium important?

•  Studies on calcium and bone mass show that daily supplementation of a well-absorbed form of calcium promotes bone mass in adolescents, young adults, older men, and postmenopausal women.* 

Why is magnesium important?

•  Magnesium is crucial for the body to function properly because magnesium is involved in more than 600 of the body's enzymatic reactions.
• Magnesium is essential for the health of the heart and blood vessels, brain, bones, muscles, and lungs. It also supports healthy blood sugar levels.*
• It enhances the relaxation of smooth and skeletal muscles.*
• Magnesium is a cofactor, along with multiple enzymes, in cellular energy production.* 

Why add vitamin C?

• Vitamin C promotes optimal immune function.*
• Vitamin C supports healthy collagen formation, which benefits wound healing and injury repair.*

Vitamin K supports the healthy ability of the blood to clot, promotes healthy arteries, and supports healthy bone density. However, there are three types of vitamin K, and each one is responsible for different benefits. Thorne’s Vitamin K is a complete formula that includes vitamin K1 and two forms of vitamin K2.

Benefits of Thorne’s Vitamin K:

• Supports the normal and healthy ability of the blood to clot*
• Promotes strong bones*
• Helps maintain the health and elasticity of arteries*
• Vitamin K "pairs up" with vitamin D in the body to help keep calcium in the bones where it belongs and out of the blood vessels and other soft tissues*
• Provides the highest quality, clinically studied forms of vitamin K1 and vitamin K2, as MK-4 and MK-7
• Contains significantly more MK-4 than most products on the market and the MK-7 is MenaQ7,® the form used in the majority of MK-7 research 

An avalanche of favorable studies has resulted in record numbers of Americans supplementing with vitamin D. Since it is virtually impossible to obtain adequate vitamin D from food sources, supplementation with 5,000-8,000 IU daily is required by many aging individuals.

Overlooked by almost everyone (except Life Extension® members) is the critical importance of vitamin K. If one is concerned enough about their health to take higher dose vitamin D, it seems absurd to miss out on the benefits of vitamin K. For instance, vitamin D facilitates calcium absorption into the bloodstream and thus plays an important role in maintaining bone density. Less recognized is the need for vitamin K to transport calcium from the bloodstream into the bone. Vitamin K is also required by calcium-regulating proteins in the arteries. Together these two vitamins help maintain youthful calcium skeletal distribution while promoting vascular health.>

Vitamin K can be found in small amounts in the diet, but obtaining the desired higher potencies requires supplementation. Many Life Extension members obtain optimal potencies of long-acting vitamin K in the Super Booster or Super K formulations. An increasing number of new members, however, are asking for high-potency vitamin D—but are not taking any supplemental vitamin K.

To directly address this problem, Life Extension® has put together a formula called Vitamins D and K with Sea-Iodine™. Like vitamins D and K, few Americans obtain optimal amounts of iodine. As people seek to limit their salt intake, this deficit is exacerbated since iodized salt is the principal source of this mineral in many diets. We expect the issue of iodine insufficiency to receive more media attention as new studies uncover the problems this creates. Sea-Iodine™ is included in this formula to provide iodine without the harmful effects of sodium.