Protect+ 10

Protect+10 — Comprehensive Fat-Soluble Vitamin and Nutrient Absorption Support

Balanced Protection for Bone, Heart, and Immune Health

The same fat-soluble vitamin synergy as Protect+ 5 — at twice the Vitamin D3 dose.*

Protect+ 10 delivers the identical K2VITAL® Delta, Vitamin A, Vitamin E, and AstraGin® foundation as Protect+ 5, with Vitamin D3 at 10,000 IU (250 mcg) — the therapeutic dose tier appropriate for patients with documented vitamin D insufficiency or deficiency, significant fat malabsorption, obesity, dark skin tone, advanced age, or those requiring accelerated D3 repletion under practitioner supervision.*

The K2 co-administration at 300 mcg is clinically essential at this D3 dose. Higher D3 drives more robust calcium absorption — making the K2-mediated calcium direction mechanism even more important to ensure that mobilized calcium flows into bone matrix rather than vascular tissue. At 10,000 IU D3, K2VITAL® Delta is not optional — it is the safety and efficacy partner that makes this dose clinically appropriate.

KEY SUPPORTED BENEFITS

Protect+ 10 is formulated to support:*

• Therapeutic D3 repletion toward target serum 25(OH)D3 levels under practitioner monitoring*
• Healthy calcium metabolism — directing calcium to bone and away from soft tissues and vasculature*
• Bone density, skeletal strength, and connective tissue integrity*
• Vascular flexibility and healthy arterial calcification defense*
• Immune function, T-cell activity, and balanced inflammatory response*
• Cell differentiation, tissue renewal, and mucosal barrier integrity*
• Broad-spectrum lipid-soluble antioxidant protection*
• Fat-soluble vitamin absorption and bioavailability through AstraGin®*

THE FAT-SOLUBLE VITAMIN SYNERGY

Why K2 at 10,000 IU D3 Is Non-Negotiable

At higher D3 doses, the calcium absorption-direction mechanism becomes more clinically important. 10,000 IU D3 drives robust intestinal calcium absorption — and without adequate K2 to activate osteocalcin and Matrix Gla Protein (MGP), a greater proportion of that calcium risks depositing in vascular smooth muscle and soft tissue rather than bone matrix.*

K2VITAL® Delta at 300 mcg provides the osteocalcin carboxylation and MGP activation that ensures absorbed calcium is directed appropriately at this D3 dose — making the D3/K2 pairing in Protect+ 10 a clinical necessity, not a convenience.*

The Vitamins A and E synergy is identical to Protect+ 5 — Vitamin A supports shared VDR/RXR receptor signaling with D3 and mucosal immune function, while Vitamin E stabilizes the fat-soluble vitamin complex in lipoproteins and cell membranes throughout circulation.*

For the full fat-soluble vitamin synergy rationale, see the Protect+ 5 product page.*

K2VITAL® Delta (Vitamin K2 as MK-7, Double Microencapsulated) — 300 mcg

Role: Calcium Direction, Bone Matrix Support & Vascular Calcification Defense- World's Only Patented Double-Microencapsulated K2

K2VITAL® Delta delivers 99.7% all-trans MK-7 in the world's first and only patented double-microencapsulated preparation — with stability superiority confirmed across over 400 tests of finished products, achieving MK-7 recovery rates above 95% in mineral formulations.

Clinical Evidence: The 2024 Journal of the American College of Cardiology study demonstrated K2 MK-7 combined with D3 significantly impeded coronary artery calcification progression. The 2015 Knapen et al. RCT (Thrombosis and Haemostasis) showed 180 mcg MK-7 for 3 years significantly improved arterial stiffness in healthy postmenopausal women.*

Vitamin D3 (Cholecalciferol) — 250 mcg (10,000 IU)

Role: Therapeutic D3 Repletion, Calcium Absorption, Immune Gene Expression & Cellular Signaling

At 10,000 IU (250 mcg), Protect+ 10 delivers D3 at the therapeutic dose tier used by practitioners for accelerated repletion of documented vitamin D insufficiency and deficiency — and in clinical populations where 5,000 IU produces inadequate serum response.*

Published evidence for 10,000 IU D3 safety and efficacy:*

• A comprehensive 2017 safety review in the Journal of Steroid Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (Hathcock et al.) established a no-observed-adverse-effect level (NOAEL) for Vitamin D3 at 10,000 IU/day in healthy adults, with a tolerable upper intake level (UL) of 10,000 IU/day — the dose used in this formula.*
• Research demonstrates 10,000 IU/day is frequently required to move deficient patients (below 20 ng/mL) to the optimal range (40–80 ng/mL) within a clinically meaningful timeframe of 2–4 months.*
• A 2019 meta-analysis confirmed that supplemental D3 doses of 7,000–10,000 IU/day are needed in many patient populations to consistently achieve serum 25(OH)D3 above 40 ng/mL.*
• 10,000 IU D3 has been used safely in multiple published human studies examining immune function, autoimmune conditions, cancer prevention, and cardiometabolic health.*

Target serum levels: Most practitioners aim for 25(OH)D3 between 40–80 ng/mL for optimal immune, bone, and cardiometabolic function. Regular monitoring every 3–6 months is recommended when supplementing at this dose to avoid exceeding 100 ng/mL*

VITAMIN A (RETINOL)

Dose: Clinically appropriate dose Role: Cell Differentiation, Mucosal Immunity, Tissue Renewal & D3 Synergy

Vitamin A (as retinol) is essential for a wide range of biological processes that are directly relevant to longevity and clinical health:

Cell differentiation and tissue renewal: Vitamin A regulates the differentiation of stem cells into specialized cell types across skin, respiratory epithelium, intestinal epithelium, and immune tissue — supporting the ongoing tissue renewal processes that maintain organ function with age.*

VITAMIN E (D-ALPHA TOCOPHEROL)

Dose: Clinically appropriate dose Role: Lipid-Soluble Antioxidant Defense, Membrane Integrity & Fat-Soluble Vitamin Stabilization

Vitamin E is the body's primary lipid-soluble chain-breaking antioxidant — integrated directly into cell membranes and lipoproteins where it interrupts lipid peroxidation chain reactions before they propagate through the membrane lipid bilayer.*

Unlike water-soluble antioxidants (vitamin C, glutathione) that protect the aqueous cellular compartments, Vitamin E specifically protects the lipid-rich environments that are the site of greatest oxidative vulnerability — cell membranes, mitochondrial membranes, myelin sheaths, and lipoproteins.*

ASTRAGIN® (ASTRAGALUS MEMBRANACEUS + PANAX NOTOGINSENG ROOT EXTRACTS)

Dose: 50 mg Role: Fat-Soluble Vitamin Absorption & Bioavailability Optimization 

AstraGin® upregulates key intestinal nutrient transporter proteins — supporting the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins across the intestinal wall.*

Fat-soluble vitamins are absorbed through a lipid-dependent process involving bile acid micelles, pancreatic lipases, and specific intestinal transport proteins. AstraGin® supports the expression of these transport systems — including those involved in fat-soluble nutrient uptake — ensuring that the clinically validated forms of K2, D3, A, and E in Protect+ 5 are absorbed efficiently and consistently.*

AstraGin® also supports gut barrier integrity and healthy inflammatory tone in the intestinal environment — contributing to the absorptive surface health that determines fat-soluble vitamin bioavailability at the fundamental level.*

References:

Vitamin K2 MK-7:

• Lal N, Berenjian A. Cis and trans isomers of the vitamin menaquinone-7: which one is biologically significant? Appl Microbiol Biotechnol. 2020 Apr;104(7):2765-2776. doi: 10.1007/s00253-020-10409-1. Epub 2020 Feb 3. PMID: 32009201.
• Sato T, Inaba N, Yamashita T. MK-7 and Its Effects on Bone Quality and Strength. Nutrients. 2020 Mar 31;12(4):965. doi: 10.3390/nu12040965. PMID: 32244313; PMCID: PMC7230802.
• Knapen MH, Braam LA, Drummen NE, Bekers O, Hoeks AP, Vermeer C. Menaquinone-7 supplementation improves arterial stiffness in healthy postmenopausal women. A double-blind randomised clinical trial. Thromb Haemost. 2015 May;113(5):1135-44. doi: 10.1160/TH14-08-0675. Epub 2015 Feb 19. PMID: 25694037.
• Simes DC, Viegas CSB, Araújo N, Marreiros C. Vitamin K as a Powerful Micronutrient in Aging and Age-Related Diseases: Pros and Cons from Clinical Studies. Int J Mol Sci. 2019 Aug 25;20(17):4150. doi: 10.3390/ijms20174150. PMID: 31450694; PMCID: PMC6747195.
• Pisoschi AM, Pop A, Iordache F, Stanca L, Geicu OI, Bilteanu L, Serban AI. Antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory roles of vitamins in COVID-19 therapy. Eur J Med Chem. 2022 Mar 15;232:114175. doi: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2022.114175. Epub 2022 Feb 4. PMID: 35151223; PMCID: PMC8813210.

Vitamin D: 

• Chang SW, Lee HC. Vitamin D and health - The missing vitamin in humans. Pediatr Neonatol. 2019 Jun;60(3):237-244. doi: 10.1016/j.pedneo.2019.04.007. Epub 2019 Apr 17. PMID: 31101452.
• Martens PJ, Gysemans C, Verstuyf A, Mathieu AC. Vitamin D's Effect on Immune Function. Nutrients. 2020 Apr 28;12(5):1248. doi: 10.3390/nu12051248. PMID: 32353972; PMCID: PMC7281985.
• Ao T, Kikuta J, Ishii M. The Effects of Vitamin D on Immune System and Inflammatory Diseases. Biomolecules. 2021 Nov 3;11(11):1624. doi: 10.3390/biom11111624. PMID: 34827621; PMCID: PMC8615708.
• Abiri B, Vafa M. Vitamin D and Muscle Sarcopenia in Aging. Methods Mol Biol. 2020;2138:29-47. doi: 10.1007/978-1-0716-0471-7_2. PMID: 32219739.

Vitamin A:

• Bar-El Dadon S, Reifen R. Vitamin A and the epigenome. Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr. 2017 Jul 24;57(11):2404-2411. doi: 10.1080/10408398.2015.1060940. PMID: 26565606.
• Conaway HH, Henning P, Lerner UH. Vitamin a metabolism, action, and role in skeletal homeostasis. Endocr Rev. 2013 Dec;34(6):766-97. doi: 10.1210/er.2012-1071. Epub 2013 May 29. PMID: 23720297.
• Stephensen CB, Lietz G. Vitamin A in resistance to and recovery from infection: relevance to SARS-CoV2. Br J Nutr. 2021 Dec 14;126(11):1663-1672. doi: 10.1017/S0007114521000246. Epub 2021 Jan 20. PMID: 33468263; PMCID: PMC7884725.
• Cantorna MT, Snyder L, Arora J. Vitamin A and vitamin D regulate the microbial complexity, barrier function, and the mucosal immune responses to ensure intestinal homeostasis. Crit Rev Biochem Mol Biol. 2019 Apr;54(2):184-192. doi: 10.1080/10409238.2019.1611734. Epub 2019 May 14. PMID: 31084433; PMCID: PMC6629036.

Vitamin E: 

• Pekmezci D. Vitamin E and immunity. Vitam Horm. 2011;86:179-215. doi: 10.1016/B978-0-12-386960-9.00008-3. PMID: 21419272.
• Casati M, Boccardi V, Ferri E, Bertagnoli L, Bastiani P, Ciccone S, Mansi M, Scamosci M, Rossi PD, Mecocci P, Arosio B. Vitamin E and Alzheimer's disease: the mediating role of cellular aging. Aging Clin Exp Res. 2020 Mar;32(3):459-464. doi: 10.1007/s40520-019-01209-3. Epub 2019 May 3. PMID: 31054115.
• Corina A, Rangel-Zúñiga OA, Jiménez-Lucena R, Alcalá-Díaz JF, Quintana-Navarro G, Yubero-Serrano EM, López-Moreno J, Delgado-Lista J, Tinahones F, Ordovás JM, López-Miranda J, Pérez-Martínez P. Low Intake of Vitamin E Accelerates Cellular Aging in Patients With Established Cardiovascular Disease: The CORDIOPREV Study. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci. 2019 May 16;74(6):770-777. doi: 10.1093/gerona/gly195. PMID: 30165472.
• Moriguchi S, Muraga M. Vitamin E and immunity. Vitam Horm. 2000;59:305-36. doi: 10.1016/s0083-6729(00)59011-6. PMID: 10714244.

AstraGin®:

• Chang, Tsu-Chung et al. “Effect of ginsenosides on glucose uptake in human Caco-2 cells is mediated through altered Na+/glucose cotransporter 1 expression.” Journal of agricultural and food chemistry vol. 55,5 (2007): 1993-8. doi:10.1021/jf062714k

• During A, Harrison EH. Mechanisms of provitamin A (carotenoid) and vitamin A (retinol) transport into and out of intestinal Caco-2 cells. J Lipid Res. 2007 Oct;48(10):2283-94. doi: 10.1194/jlr.M700263-JLR200. Epub 2007 Jul 20. PMID: 17644776.
• Reboul E, Goncalves A, Comera C, Bott R, Nowicki M, Landrier JF, Jourdheuil-Rahmani D, Dufour C, Collet X, Borel P. Vitamin D intestinal absorption is not a simple passive diffusion: evidence for involvement of cholesterol transporters. Mol Nutr Food Res. 2011 May;55(5):691-702. doi: 
• Reboul E. Vitamin E intestinal absorption: Regulation of membrane transport across the enterocyte. IUBMB Life. 2019 Apr;71(4):416-423. doi: 10.1002/iub.1955. Epub 2018 Oct 11. PMID: 30308094.

Caution: Individuals taking more than 50 mcg (2,000 IU) of Vitamin D per day should have their vitamin D levels monitored. This product is not intended for long term use and should be used under the supervision of your doctor.