ADK Supplements: Compare Vitamin A, D3, K1 and K2 Labels

ADK is shorthand for vitamins A, D and K. It is easy to buy the wrong formula by matching those three letters alone. Two bottles can supply the same amount of vitamin A and very different amounts of vitamin D, or include different forms of vitamin K.

Two ADK labels, side by side

These amounts are per manufacturer-labeled serving. They describe the products and are not individual intake recommendations.

The clearest difference is D3: one Codeage capsule lists two and a half times the D3 in one Daily Balance softgel. Codeage also lists K1 and two forms of K2. Daily Balance lists MK-7 and adds tocotrienols. Those differences matter more than which bottle has the larger capsule count.

Before adding ADK to an existing routine

Add up vitamin D from any multivitamin, separate D3 and ADK formula you already use. NIH gives adults a general daily upper limit of 100 mcg (4,000 IU) from all sources. The Codeage serving alone exceeds that limit. A clinician may recommend higher amounts for a specific reason; a label comparison is not a reason to increase your intake. If you take warfarin, check with the clinician managing it before changing vitamin K intake. See the NIH fact sheets on vitamin D and vitamin K.

How to match a product you already use

Use the exact name after the brand. Allergy Research Group also sells a different D3 Complete 5000 formula. Check the serving size, the D3 amount in mcg or IU, and whether the panel lists K1, MK-4 or MK-7. If D3 is the ingredient you are shopping for, the vitamin D collection includes other combinations. If you want the complete ingredient panel for Codeage, use the manufacturer’s ADK label.

What are the benefits of vitamins A, D and K?

Vitamin A is needed for normal vision and immune function. Vitamin D helps the body absorb calcium and is important for bone health. Vitamin K is involved in normal blood clotting and bone metabolism. Those roles explain why the three nutrients often appear in a bone-health or general wellness formula. They do not show that a particular combined product will improve every one of those outcomes for every buyer. A nutrient can be essential even when a person already gets enough of it.

That distinction is especially useful when a search for “ADK benefits” brings up a long list of claims about energy, circulation or the thyroid. Look at what the claim actually says. A description of what a vitamin does in the body is one thing; a study of a finished capsule in a defined group of people is another. If someone recommended ADK to address a specific deficiency, ask which vitamin, which amount and for how long. That information gives you a much better basis for comparing labels than a broad claim about wellness.

Does taking the three vitamins together make the formula better?

Combining nutrients can be convenient if each amount suits a need you have already identified. It can also make a formula harder to adjust. Suppose your clinician wants you to change your vitamin D intake while keeping vitamin A and K the same. A combination capsule changes all three when you change the number of capsules. A single-nutrient product offers a different degree of flexibility. That is a formulation question, separate from the quality of the brand.

A useful approach is to write three lines on a piece of paper, one for A, one for D and one for K. Next to each, note why you are shopping for it and where else you get it. If two lines remain blank because you are looking only for D3, pause before choosing a high-strength ADK blend. You can compare D3-only products and combinations in the same shopping session without assuming that the longest ingredient list wins.

What do the letters and units on an ADK label mean?

Vitamin A: what are retinyl palmitate, beta-carotene and RAE?

Retinyl palmitate supplies preformed vitamin A. Beta-carotene is a carotenoid the body can convert to vitamin A. Labels may express the vitamin A amount in micrograms of retinol activity equivalents, abbreviated mcg RAE. This unit accounts for differences in vitamin A activity between sources. If two labels use different units or list more than one vitamin A source, avoid assuming that the largest printed number represents the most vitamin A.

For the two formulas in the table, both labels name retinyl palmitate. That makes their vitamin A rows more comparable than they would be if one product relied entirely on beta-carotene. It also matters for safety: excessive preformed vitamin A can harm a developing fetus. Someone who is pregnant or planning a pregnancy should have their prenatal and any additional ADK product reviewed together by their clinician. The NIH vitamin A fact sheet explains the forms and age-specific upper limits.

Vitamin D3: why does the same capsule list mcg and IU?

These are two units for the same vitamin D amount. One microgram of vitamin D equals 40 IU. The 50 mcg on the Daily Balance label is therefore 2,000 IU, and the 125 mcg on the Codeage label is 5,000 IU. Do not add the mcg figure to the IU figure: you would be counting the same vitamin twice. This conversion is specific to vitamin D. Using the same multiplier for vitamin A or K will give you a misleading result.

Try a second example. If a multivitamin contains 25 mcg of D3, write that as 1,000 IU. If you add a separate 50 mcg product, the two supplement servings together would provide 75 mcg, or 3,000 IU. This is an arithmetic example, not a suggested regimen. It illustrates why a shopper needs the actual amounts from both bottles; two products labeled “daily” can overlap substantially before food or another supplement is considered.

Vitamin K1, MK-4 and MK-7: what am I comparing?

K1 is one form of vitamin K. MK-4 and MK-7 are forms of K2. On a label that lists both, check whether the amount refers to the total K2 content or to each form individually. In the Codeage example, 1,500 mcg of MK-4 plus 300 mcg of MK-7 equals 1,800 mcg of K2. Its 1,000 mcg of K1 is listed separately. Daily Balance lists 100 mcg of MK-7 per softgel.

Those are meaningful differences even though both bottles fit the ADK category. Someone trying to match a particular MK-7 product should compare its MK-7 row first. Comparing the combined weight of K1 and K2 against another product’s MK-7 amount does not answer that question. Keep your units straight here as well: 1,000 micrograms equal one milligram. A missing “c” in a unit can distort a comparison by a factor of a thousand.

Questions about safety, medications and choosing a strength

Is 5,000 IU of vitamin D a normal amount to take every day?

It is an amount sold in supplements, but the fact that it is available does not establish that it is appropriate for you. For adults, the US daily upper limit given by NIH is 4,000 IU from all sources. A clinician may recommend a higher amount for a specific period to manage a documented need. That is different from adding a 5,000 IU capsule on top of an existing multivitamin because it looks like better value.

If you are comparing products after a blood test, bring the report and photos of your current labels to the person interpreting the result. Ask whether the recommendation refers to your total vitamin D intake or to the amount in a new supplement. Also ask when the need will be reassessed. A monitoring plan is more useful than guessing from the percentage of Daily Value on the front of a bottle.

Can I take ADK if I use warfarin?

Vitamin K intake can affect warfarin therapy. NIH emphasizes keeping intake consistent and discussing changes with the clinician managing the medication. An ADK supplement can introduce a substantial new source of vitamin K. Do not start, stop or switch it without that review. If a formula you currently use changes its label, that is also worth flagging, even if the brand and bottle color remain familiar.

For the conversation, bring the actual K1 and K2 amounts per serving, your current serving frequency and the name of any multivitamin. “It contains some K2” gives the clinician less information than a clear photo of the panel. If a product has a proprietary blend or the individual amount is unclear, ask the manufacturer before treating it as equivalent to an existing supplement. The NIH vitamin K guide explains why consistency matters.

What side effects should I look up before buying an ADK 10 or ADK Plus product?

Start with the full brand and exact product name. “ADK 10” and “ADK Plus” are not standardized medical descriptions that identify one universal strength. Do not infer the dose from the number in a product name. Read the panel and warning text on the exact package. Excessive vitamin D can cause problems including high blood calcium, and too much preformed vitamin A can be harmful. The amount, duration, other supplements and personal medical context all matter.

If you have already taken a product and feel unwell, the useful details to give a healthcare professional are the product name, the quantity taken, the timing and what else you used. A web comparison cannot determine which ingredient caused a symptom. Keep the original bottle or a photograph available. For a purchasing decision, a product with legible amounts and warnings is easier to evaluate than one that requires you to guess what “extra strength” means.

Is an ADK supplement a medication? Is there a best brand for thyroid or heart health?

The products compared here are dietary supplements. A search phrase such as “ADK medication” can bring up products with very different ingredients and legal uses. If you are looking for a prescribed product, match the name to your prescription or ask the pharmacist. Do not substitute a retail ADK blend on the strength of similar initials. The same care applies to a medical condition: a label that describes normal nutrient functions does not establish treatment for thyroid or cardiovascular disease.

For a brand comparison, define “best” in terms you can check. You might need a specific D3 amount, a particular form of K, a softgel you can swallow, or a label that a clinician has already reviewed. Ask for the exact certification if a third-party testing claim matters to you. Manufacturing standards, a lab test of one batch and evidence of a health benefit answer different questions.

A shopping worksheet for comparing two bottles

Photograph the Supplement Facts panel on your current bottle and the product you are considering. Write the serving size at the top of each column. On separate lines enter vitamin A amount and source, vitamin D3 in both units, K1, MK-4, MK-7 and any other active ingredients. Draw a line through an entry only when the label clearly shows it is absent. Use a question mark for a value you cannot confirm. That prevents an unknown value from quietly turning into a zero.

Next check the product you already use most often, usually a multivitamin or separate D3. Add its contribution on another line, using the same units. If your original reason for switching was a lower price, calculate the cost per labeled serving only after comparing those amounts. A 180-capsule bottle with a one-capsule serving contains 180 servings; a 120-softgel bottle with a one-softgel serving contains 120. That package arithmetic does not make the two servings nutritionally interchangeable.

Finally, look for wording that can change between editions. “Daily Balance” and “5000” are different Allergy Research Group formulas. An updated bottle image on a marketplace may also show a different size than the variant you selected. Match the named formula, strength, serving and selected package at checkout. If you cannot verify one of those details, use the manufacturer’s panel rather than a seller’s headline. This final check is especially worthwhile when reordering a formula that already fits a clinician’s plan.

Can I compare products by the percent Daily Value alone?

Percent Daily Value gives a reference point for the amount in a labeled serving. It does not account for what you have already consumed, the form you are trying to match or a clinician’s instructions. It is also different from a tolerable upper intake level. A bottle that lists more than 100% of a Daily Value is not automatically above a safety limit; a bottle below that figure for one nutrient can still add substantially to your total from other sources.

Use the percentage for orientation, then copy the actual amount and unit into your comparison. If your question is about vitamin D, write down mcg and IU. If your question is about vitamin K2, find the MK-4 and MK-7 lines. That extra minute keeps a single percentage from concealing the precise difference that prompted you to change brands.

Radical Creative Wellness sells products discussed here. The following external retailer listings are affiliate links and may earn us a commission: Designs for Health ADK Evail, Codeage A D K, Bulletproof A-D-K, DaVinci A.D.K., BioTE ADK. Check the current label on the exact listing before ordering.