Hello lovely patients! Today is the day you learn all about a new vitamin that has been shown to be quite remarkable in our aging process. Vitamin D was the new kid on the block for quite some time. Vitamin D does many things in the body, including increasing our absorption of calcium. This is the reason vitamin D is important for osteoporosis prevention. As osteoporosis is a growing problem so much research has gone into calcium absorption and utilisation by the body. As a result of this research Vitamin K2 has come to the fore.
So what does the research say?
Vitamin K2 has been found to be a new piece in the puzzle of preventing and reversing bone loss. Vitamin K2 has been shown to activate a protein called osteocalcin which directs where calcium goes in the body. What we don’t want is calcium going to the wrong places. Calcium depositing in the arteries is a big contributing factor to heart disease. There is no point increasing our absorption of calcium unless we can get it into our bones. Osteocalcin sends calcium into our bones and not into our arteries. Taking calcium alone is not particularly helpful. Taking Vitamin D to increase calcium absorption is beneficial, however we need to ensure that the calcium we absorb goes into our bones.
This is where understanding vitamin K2 is essential. Most of you know of vitamin K1 – this is the vitamin given in hospital to newborns to prevent haemorrhage at birth. K2 is different. Vitamin K2 plays a few different roles in the body, but perhaps its most important, is the role it plays in the movement of calcium. We do not want calcification of our arteries – this is an example of calcium going to the wrong place. Calcification of our arteries is a marker of heart disease. Excitingly, research is now showing that vitamin K2 can reduce arterial stiffness and calcification. It is being used by more and more Cardiologists. By taking vitamin K2 we can improve the way calcium works in the body and protect our bones, arteries and heart as we age.
What can you do about it?
Learning the right foods to eat to maximise bone health is important. Knowing how to improve absorption and utilisation of nutrients is imperative. Knowing which nutrients play the most critical role in bone health is your essential education. Throughout life it is a good idea to look after our bone density. Learning the right foods to eat and how to maximise vitamin D and K2 is a great step on the road to healthy aging. If you would like to learn more about food, nutrition and bone health come on in and have a chat with us, there is so much to learn to age well.
Check out our divine recipe for Bone Building Bliss Balls here! https://perthhealthfertility.com.au/archives/1340
Lisa and Anna x