VITAMIN K2: THE MISSING LINK TO GOOD HEALTH?

Most people are familiar with the incredible benefits of Vitamin A, Vitamin B, Vitamin C and Vitamin D. But Vitamin K2? Not so much. That’s unfortunate, because research suggests Vitamin K2 may be essential to optimizing vitality. In this article we explore the question, Vitamin K2: The Missing Link to Good Health?

There is a compelling body of clinical research supporting the potential health benefits of VITAMIN K2 for WHOLE BODY health, including (but not limited to) your BONES, CARDIOVASCULAR system, HORMONES, SKIN and even your BRAIN.

Fortunately, the problem of VITAMIN K2 DEFICIENCY can be addressed if you know WHY it is so important and what SPECIFIC FOODS are the best sources for it.

So, lets examine the far-reaching benefits of VITAMIN K2 and how a safe, natural and science-based approach to consume more of it can restore your WHOLE BODY HEALTH.

 

VITAMINS K1 AND K2 – WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENCES AND BENEFITS?

It is commonly thought that the benefits of Vitamin K are limited to its role in the CLOTTING OF BLOOD.

That is the primary role of Vitamin K1.

But what about K2?

Vitamins K1 and K2 are NOT simply DIFFERENT FORMS of the same vitamin with the same or similar biological benefits.

In fact, K2 has so many DIFFERENT FUNCTIONS not associated with K1 that many researchers insist that K1 and K2 are best understood as two TOTALLY DISTINCT VITAMINS.

 

Understanding that Vitamins K1 and K2 have entirely different roles in the human body, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) measured the Vitamin K2 contents of foods in the U.S. diet for the first time starting in 2006

 

New evidence has confirmed that the K2 vitamin’s role in the body extends far beyond blood clotting. It plays a major broader role in the prevention of CHRONIC DEGENERATIVE DISEASE by contributing to the following:

• Preventing CARDIOVASCULAR disease/hardening of the arteries
• Promoting healthy SKIN
• Building strong BONES
• Enhancing BRAIN function
• Helping IMMUNE performance for CANCER PREVENTION

 

Vitamins K1 and K2 – MORE KEY DIFFERENCES

 

A large study from the Netherlands measured heart disease and its relationship to K2 intake and the CALCIFICATION of the ARTERIAL wall of the heart.

(They found that this CALCIFICATION was the best predictor of future heart disease.)

Those who had the highest intake of Vitamin K2 were SIGNIFICANTLY LESS LIKELY to develop CALCIFICATION of those delicate heart arteries, less likely to develop heart disease and, most importantly, MUCH LESS LIKELY TO DIE from the progression of the disease!

What was interesting was that in the same study the intake of Vitamin K1 had no significant effect on heart health!

(K1 is preferentially used by the liver to activate BLOOD CLOTTING proteins, so it’s all about CLOTTING)

So, K2 takes calcium from where it SHOULD NOT be (like soft tissue such as heart muscle) and moves it to places where it SHOULD be, like BONE.

The benefits don’t stop there.

K2 helps turn food into ENERGY by working with your MITOCHONDRIA, the powerhouses of your cells.

So, it helps with endurance.

(You will have a lot more energy to exercise)

It helps CARDIAC OUTPUT, especially if you take it right BEFORE you exercise.

Vitamin K2 works with Vitamin D

 

Vitamin D helps a person absorb calcium in the intestines by a factor of 20 times. So, Vitamin D RAISES CALCIUM in the blood, but K2 takes the calcium from blood and pushes it into bone by activating certain proteins.

 

Here is another fun fact:

Vitamin K2 uses a TRANSPORT SYSTEM called LDL (the so called ‘bad cholesterol’ that everyone’s trying to avoid). K2 takes a ride on LDL and helps your bones be more sold, as well as helping your teeth, too.

It keeps calcium from building up in arteries (vascular calcification) as well as in cartilage or joints.

This amazing vitamin ALSO activates the BETA CELLS of the PANCREASE, making INSULIN more sensitive. So, it helps insulin and insulin RESISTANCE.

It helps generate ATP in the muscle cell.

It also supports testosterone.

It ALSO works on your brain health, including MEMORY.

 

Do We Need to get Vitamin K2 From Our Diet?

A common misconception is that human beings do NOT need K2 in their diet, since they have the ability to turn Vitamin K1 into K2. The amount of K1 is generally greater that that of K2 and researchers and so doctors have largely dismissed the contribution of K2 to our overall nutritional status.

However, while animals CAN CONVERT Vitamin K1 to K2, a significant amount of evidence suggests that HUMANS REQUIRE K2 in the diet for optimal health.

Unfortunately, there is currently no K2 RDA (Recommended Daily Allowance), even though we need it as a baseline.

Another problems is that both K Vitamins are FAT soluble, so they are STORED IN FAT.

So, if you eat a very LOW FAT DIET (NOT a good idea) or if you take medications, like STATINS that block CHOLESTEROL, you may block your ability to get adequate Vitamin K2.

 

What Foods Are Highest in Vitamin K2?

The following is a list of the foods highest in K2:

• Hard, (especially aged) CHEESE
• Soft CHEESE
• Chicken BREAST
• Egg YOLKS
• BUTTER (Grass-Fed is best)
• Chicken LIVER
• Salami
• Ground BEEF
• NATTO, a soy dish popular in Japan (the highest source but not very tasty!)

It was once thought that INTESTINAL BACTERIA played a major role in providing the body with K2.

However, most evidence shows that the K2 produced in the intestine stays within bacterial membranes and is not available for absorption. Therefore, intestinal (bacterial) production of K2 likely plays a small role.

You NEED to get more K2 from your FOOD.

While some foods like NATTO and hard CHEESES are high in K2, many people don’t consume them regularly. This is where ADVANCED SUPPLEMENTATION plays a critical role.

FERMENTED FOODS are a Good Source of K2.

FERMENTED FOODS such as sauerkraut, cheese and natto contain significant amounts of Vitamin K2

In fact, although rarely consumed by Americans, NATTO, which is a fermented soybean, which tastes awful for most people, contains the highest concentration of K2 of any food measured.

For all intent and purpose, CHEESE is the best source.

And, another fun fact…

Of all cheese, MUNSTER CHEESE, from France, made with RAW MILK, is best.

K2 will survive some of the heating and pasteurization process, but that process also kills off the microbes that make the K2, so RAW MILK cheese is best.

Now, for those who think all CHEESE is bad because of the CHOLESTEROL in cheese…

(CHOLESTEROL is present in animal products only)

K2 actually REMOVES calcium buildup. So, there is a lot of data proving that SATURATED FAT will NOT increase heart problems.

SIDE NOTE about advice from the GOVERNMENT when it comes to NUTRITION:

For the most part, anything recommended by the government about health might not be true.

There is a revolving door between industry and government. So, take that with a grain of salt (no pun intended).

GRASS FED BUTTER is another great source of K2.

MORE ABOUT BUTTER…

It is important to know that COMMERCIAL BUTTER is NOT a high source of Vitamin K2.

Dr. Weston A. Price, who was the first to uncover the role of vitamin K2 in human health (Vitamin K had not yet been discovered, and he called it ‘Activator X’).

He analyzed thousands of samples of butter from around the world.

He found that the Activator X concentration varied 50-fold!

Animals grazing on Vitamin K-rich cereal grasses such as wheatgrass and alfalfa in a lush green state of growth produced butter with the highest amounts of this Activator X.

The soil in which the pasture was grown also influenced the quality of the butter.

The healthiest topsoil produced butter that showed dramatic curing properties when combined with COD LIVER OIL in Dr. Price’s clinical practice.

Therefore, Vitamin K2 levels will not be high in butter from GRAIN-FED cows raised in confinement feedlots.

Since, the MAJORITY OF BUTTER sold in the U.S. comes from these lots, MOST butter is not a significant source of K2 in the diet for most people.

So, just purchase and consume GRASS-FED butter, which can be found with a little effort.

 

Who would MOST BENEFIT from taking Vitamin K2?

People taking…

ANTACIDS

ANTIBIOTICS

STATINS

People diagnosed with…

GI Distress

IBS

CROHNS

INFLAMMATION

Also…

Menopausal women need K2 because it helps prevent BONE LOSS.

So do PREGNANT women.

 

WE’RE STILL LEARNING ABOUT HEALTH BENEFITS OF K2

New research that expands our understanding of the many important roles of Vitamin K2 is being published at a rapid pace. Yet it is already clear that Vitamin K2 is an important nutrient for human health – and one of the most poorly understood by medical authorities and the general public.

 

In conclusion, Vitamin K2 levels are essential for OPTIMAL HEALTH.

 

So, if you’ve ever asked “What is my doctor missing?” and suspect that NUTRITIONAL DEFICIENCIES may be a part of YOUR persistent, unresolved health challenges, (INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO K2 LEVELS) do NOT give up.

 

This is where ADVANCED SUPPLEMENTATION (with WHOLE FOOD NUTRITION, never SYNTHETIC VITAMINS) can be helpful.

It’s important to work with an experienced practitioner who can recommend the right supplements designed to solve problems of DEFICIENCY as well as remove TOXICITY in the body directly.

The good news is that there are doctors with specialized knowledge who are ready with a science-backed action plan to do BOTH.

Addressing this will take you from DEFICIENCY to SUFFICIENCY and from TOXICITY to PURITY, and allow you to get back to looking, feeling and functioning at your best.