Traditionally, vitamin K was only really known for its role with blood clotting. However, vitamin K has gained a fair bit of attention in the last few years as new information has shed light on the many of its previously unknown functions in the body. Most of this new attention has focused around its importance with bone health. In this week’s article we will examine the roles that vitamin K plays with creating and maintaining healthy bone structure.
What is vitamin K
Vitamin K is a fat-soluble vitamin that was discovered in the 1930’s by Danish biochemist Henrik Dam. In his research, he discovered that vitamin K was required prevent bleeding hemorrhages. Later research eventually showed that there are actually two forms of vitamin K, vitamin K1 and vitamin K2. Vitamin K1 is more associated with blood clotting while vitamin K2 is more associated with bone health and calcium distribution.
Vitamin K2 and Bones
Vitamin K2 helps to increase bone strength and prevent bone degredation by a few different mechanisms. First of all, vitamin K2 in food or supplement form stimulates the activation of osteocalcin, a hormone that promotes bone building. Secondly, vitamin K2 promotes proper estrogen metabolism, which helps prevent post-menopausal bone thinning. Finally, vitamin K2 stimulates matrix gla protein (MGP), which redirects calcium from soft tissues towards the bones to increase bone strength.
Vitamin K2 and Calcium
Vitamin K2 works with calcium so the body uses calcium appropriately in the bones, dental tissue, and other areas of the body. Recent research has shown that high calcium consumption or supplementation may lead to health consequences like calcifications in the soft tissues of the body. This has lead some health care professionals to recommend avoiding calcium supplementation. However, vitamin K2 may be the missing ingredient for many people taking calcium supplements. By activating osteocalcin vitamin K2 encourages calcium to be directed into the bones and teeth. Vitamin K2 also activates matrix gla protein (MGP), which escorts calcium out of the arteries, veins, and other soft tissues.
Sources of Vitamin K2
Vitamin K can be obtained in relatively healthy amounts in the diet that focuses on vitamin K2-rich foods. The Standard American Diet (SAD) is relatively deficient in vitamin K2 and is one of the reasons so many people are deficient in vitamin K2. The best sources of vitamin K2 are free-range eggs, grass fed beef, butter/ghee from grass-fed cows, and natto.
Most of the doctors on this ctetimome were paid consultants to drug manufacturers of bisphosphonates. This is a class of drugs used to treat osteoporosis that are largely ineffective. Plus bisphosphonates have recently been connected to esophageal cancer. I am sure bisphosphonates have been losing market share to Vitamin D and Vitamin K2. These are two Vitamins that cost a few dollars a month and have been shown to be effective. It is push back time by the drug manufacturers. It is typical of the lazy media to print these press releases without doing any investigation.If you do a pub-med search you will find 42,000 studies showing the benefits of Vitamin D, It takes a high degree of courage or stupidity for these researchers to ignore those studies.Plus these researchers are ignoring the breakthrough research done in the last three years by biochemists that show that high levels of Vitamin D is necessary for proper functioning of almost all organ systems.This finding is further proof of the huge disconnect between biochemists and most of today’s practitioners of medicine.