Any idea what one of the most prevalent (and dangerous) conditions in the United States might be?
If you guessed Osteoporosis you’d be 100% correct.
Osteoporosis affects more than 40 million Americans, making it one of the most common health concerns. And seeing as how most of the people who suffer from the condition are elderly, it’s important to get a handle on it before it’s too late.
Now there’s good news and bad news about osteoporosis.
To start, there’s been some advice dispensed by medical professionals in regards to osteoporosis. The ill-advised recommendation is that people who want to strengthen their bones take a calcium supplement to build stronger bones.
The only problem is unless you have Vitamin K2 in your diet, the calcium won’t make its way to your bones. Even worse is the calcium won’t just miss your bones, it will end up in your arteries causing arterial calcification which could eventually lead to serious cardiovascular issues.
The truth is calcium supplementation without K2 supplementation is a recipe for disaster.
So how does vitamin k2 work to help build better, stronger bones?
As Kate Rheaume-Bleue explains in her book “The Calcium Paradox,”
Vitamin K2 works by activating a number of special proteins that move calcium around the body. Specifically, K2 activates a protein called osteocalcin, which attracts calcium into bones and teeth, where calcium is needed. K2 activates another protein called matrix gla protein (MGP), which sweeps calcium out of soft tissues like arteries and veins, where the mineral is unwanted and harmful.
When K2 is lacking, the proteins that depend on K2 remain inactive . The Calcium Paradox then gradually rears its ugly head with an insidious decline in bone mineral density and an even more treacherous hardening of the arteries. When K 2 is plentiful, bones remain strong and arteries remain clear.
The biggest problem here is most people in western civilizations are woefully deficient in k2.
The reason being is our diet has all but eliminated the presence of k2.
Vitamin k2 is only found in a few places. Pasture raised meat, and meat by-products from pastured raised animal,s as well as certain fermented foods.
Since most Americans don’t consume much fermented food or pasture raised meat, the deficiency is magnified.
The good news is vitamin k2 can be supplemented with ease.
It’s not expensive, and there’s virtually no way you can overdoes on it.
However, the one caveat to vitamin k2 supplementation is in order to extract the maximum amount possible, you need a healthy gut.
Do everything you can to heal the gut (probioitcs, avoid wheat and dairy) and it’ll help with k2 absorbption.
