Vitamin K supports bone health and cardiovascular strength.It's hard to understand why Vitamin K has been so overlooked over the years. And estimates range as high as 99% of the population could be deficient in this nutrient. There are many conditions where you could be putting yourself at risk for a higher likelihood of deficiency. First of all, this vitamin is fat-soluble.
What does that mean? Fat-soluble simply means that dietary fat is necessary for efficient absorption. So, if your diet does not contain adequate amounts of dietary fat, your absorption of this nutrient could be impacted.
There are additional conditions that could increase your risk of deficiency in this essential vitamin:
- Eating a poor or restricted diet
- Having certain conditions like Crohn's, ulcerative colitis, celiac, and others that interfere with nutrient absorption
- Dealing with a liver condition that interferes with vitamin storage
- Taking certain medications such as broad-spectrum antibiotics, cholesterol drugs, and potentially aspirin that may impact or block vitamin absorption
- Eating foods containing the wrong type of this vitamin with poor bioavailability
Danish scientist, Dr. Henrik Dam, discovered vitamin K in 1929. The "K" is for "koagulation" - essential for blood clotting. But it only starts there.
Vitamin K is unique because it has multiple effects in your body, but doesn't demonstrate any known toxicity. With research focused on potential effects on your skeletal system, brain, liver, and pancreas, vitamin K is one of the most promising nutrients of our time.
But you should know about the different types. And in particular, know which synthetic type to be on the look out for.
There are three main forms of vitamin K-
- K1 - phylloquinone, aka phytonadione
- K2 - menaquinone
- K3 - menadione synthetic variant
Vitamin K3 is a synthetic variant of the vitamin which is not recommended for human consumption - this is the one to be avoided.
Green leafy vegetables - including lettuce, broccoli, and spinach contain vitamin K1. And it makes up about 90 percent of the vitamin K in the Western-style diet.
The vitamin K which Dr. Mercola recommends is vitamin K2 - natural, non-toxic, and made in your body as well.
Vitamin K2 includes several menaquinones (MK-n, with the "n" determined by the number of prenyl side chains), such as MK-4 found in meats, MK-7, MK-8, and MK-9 found in fermented food products like cheese and natto. In fact in some cases, blood levels of vitamin K may appear normal while a real deficiency exists in your bones. So, more work needs to be done in the area of vitamin K deficiency testing.
As this "forgotten vitamin" gets more and more of the attention it deserves, modern medical science will determine a more accurate test for deficiencies.
In the meantime, it's important you take vitamin K deficiency seriously and take action to provide yourself and your loved ones with enough vitamin K.
With potential health advantages (in addition to the ones already mentioned above) in which vitamin K has been shown to:
- Promote your heart health
- Protect and support your skin
- Provide the calcium path "key" from your bloodstream to your bones
- Boost your overall immune system
- Help regulate calcification of your tissues
- Provide you powerful antioxidant benefits
- Protect your cells against oxidative damage
- Aid in supporting your already normal blood sugar levels
While other nutrients are important for maintaining and promoting your bone health (like vitamin D3, calcium, and magnesium), evidence continues to grow indicating a vital role vitamin K plays in bone metabolism and healthy bone growth.
Vitamin K has been linked to osteoblasts, the cells that generate or "lay down" bone and produce a specific protein known as osteocalcin. You can think of osteocalcin like the studs in the wall of your house. Basically, osteocalcin acts as the structural framework holding calcium in place in your bones. Vitamin K is critical for producing osteocalcin protein.
Why is this so important? Because osteocalcin cannot perform its job until vitamin K converts it to an active bone-building form.
The bottom line - vitamin K is the "key" that unlocks the door from your bloodstream to let calcium flow into your bones and bone marrow.
Without this vitamin K key action, you simply wouldn't have the strong bones you do. Plus, there's another area vitamin K plays an important role, particularly vitamin K2. Osteoblasts are important cells responsible for bone formation. While these osteoblast cells are busy building
bone, other cells called osteoclasts are trying to break down bone and remove bone tissue.
Vitamin K2 is so important because, not only has it been shown to stimulate and enhance osteocalcin production, it has also been shown to inhibit osteoclasts and help maintain your bones.
Size: 30 capsules per bottle
Serving size: one capsule per day
These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, or cure any disease.
