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Vitamin K2 - The Forgotten Vitamin
Regenerative Nutrition have always been about broad spectrum supplementation, as far as possible, rather than many single supplements. The use of broad-spectrum supplements means we have to take less supplements. Natural synergistic reactions of multiple nutrients are important in high quality supplements and are effective in the long term. While vitamin K is assesed to be deficient in 99% of the planets population we do not directly offer a Vitamin K supplement, as we feel it is ideally manufactured in the body, or taken in a natural food state. We offer products that either assist the body to produce its own adequate levels of Vitamin K or to provide it in a food derived form. Primebiotic is a very good example of this as not only does it contain a broad array of nutrients and bacteria, once it is established in the gut it will go on to actually produce and synthesise many nutrients that the body needs, including Vitamin K2. Please read on for more information.
A brief summary of the benefits of Vitamin K2
- Boosts the circulatory system
- Promotes a healthy heart
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Enhances memory function
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Helps build strong healthy bones
- Helps fight premature aging
Scientists worldwide are now recognizing the extraordinary benefits of K2 to bones and heart health. This is one vital nutrient you do NOT want to be deficient in…
Vitamin K2 action
Vitamin K2 cleans calcium deposits from your arteries and deposits it in your bones, and you have most likely never heard of it? It's almost like the old good news/bad news jokes. The good news is Vitamin K2 has been clinically proven to provide extraordinary benefits for bone health and cardiovascular health, plus it is a powerful anti-oxidant and some emerging science indicates it might help your joints and intestinal health. Now for the bad news. It costs $1.5 million per kilogram so most supplement companies find it is not cost effective to include in their formulas. As long as we can buy a house and a Ferrari for the price of a kilo of K2, it may remain a secret that is relegated to research papers! Despite the cost, read on and see why we think it is worth the price. As we age, calcium is deposited where it should not be, like in the arteries, tissues and kidneys. Magnesium Chloride, as contained in Mag Sea Ionics and Mag Sea Pure, is another useful supplement for ensuring correct calcium deposition in the bones, and ensuring that more of the calcium we take in our food is absorbed and utilised.
Forms of Vitamin K
Vitamin K is the name of a group of compounds that are all related to one another. The first one discovered was Phylloquinone or K1. In the last decade most of the research has turned to the more effective Menaquinones, or vitamin K2. The vitamin K2's are further divided into MK-4, MK-7 and several other forms. Recent studies have shown vitamin MK-7 to be more complete and have additional heart condition benefits.
You Need Vitamin K But in Most Cases Your Body Does Not Manufacture Enough of it
A healthy intestinal tract can produce Vitamin K but in many cases it is not produced efficiently so it must be supplied by your food. Vitamin K is different from other fat soluble vitamins because it cannot be stored in the body either. It will almost always be necessary to get Vitamin K from your diet.
Our number one product for intestinal tract health, that will help enable your body to produce vitamin K more efficiently is Primebiotic, available in capsules and the more economic powder form. Primebiotic is available in our online store here. To find out more, please read the full article here.
When you eat vitamin K1 in your food, only 5-10% of ingested K1 is absorbed and reaches your blood, but almost 100% of K2 is absorbed into your blood stream where it can be distributed for beneficial use in tissues including bones and arteries. Vitamin K2 also lasts for several days in your bloodstream compared to K1 which mostly disappears in a few hours.
Foods that include reasonable amounts of vitamin K1 include leafy vegetables, olive oil, cheese, liver, soy beans, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower, coffee, and green tea. More than 80% of the Vitamin K in western diets consists of vitamin K1. The more beneficial form, K2, is difficult to find in your diet with the exception of the Japanese traditional food, Natto.
Natto - the Food of the Samurai Warrior, Builds Your Bones
Natto, a typical breakfast food, is made from steamed and fermented soy beans. It's use in Japan dates back hundreds of years to the age of the Samurai who believed it increased their strength and quickened their reflexes. This food contains nattokinase, a powerful beneficial enzyme rich in vitamin K2. Nattokinase is found in our Multi Enzyme Protect (1000 FU* per 2 Capsules)
*Fibrin Unit (FU): a unit of potency for nattokinase, an enzyme that reduces the viscosity of blood and reduces its tendency to clot. The enzyme was discovered in natto, a traditional cheese-like Japanese food made from a fermented soybean mash. The unit is defined in terms of a specific test of a preparation's ability to dissolve fibrin, the protein found in clots; there is no standard equivalence to millograms.
Multi Enzyme Protect is available in our online store here, or to learn more, please read the full article here
Today about 7.5 billion packages of Natto are sold in Japan each year and Japanese health authorities have invested resources promoting regular use of Natto, including making it an integral part of the Japanese school breakfast programs. In the last ten years several studies have found natto, containing the active component nattokinase, the best natural source of vitamin K2, to increase bone mineral density and reduce bone fractures.
Also, several studies on Vitamin K2 specifically has been found to promote bone metabolism and reduce the incidence of fracture in osteoporosis. As compared to vitamin K1, vitamin K2 has been found to be more effective in decreasing bone turnover in vitro and in vivo, suggesting that it may offer more bone health benefits than K1.
Vitamin K2 and Your Heart
K2 has been reported to decrease serum cholesterol and cholesterol deposits in the aorta, contributing to the suppression of atherosclerosis. Vitamin K2 has been linked to a reduction in coronary heart disease. In fact one very large and significant study conducted in the Netherlands in 2004 followed 4800 healthy men and women for ten years. It found vitamin K2 reduced the risk of coronary heart disease mortality by 50%! Aortic calcification was also reduced by 30-40% in this famous Rotterdam study.
Vitamin K2 Safety
If you take Coumadin, Heparin, or another anti-coagulant you should consult your physician before taking vitamin K2 supplements. Vitamin K2 helps normal coagulation of blood. High levels of K2 do not cause abnormal blood clotting.
Is Vitamin K2 safe for Pregnant Women?
Pregnant women should be especially conscious of their vitamin K intake because the following birth defects have been linked to vitamin K deficiency:
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Cardiac dysfunction
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Craniofacial abnormalities
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Flat nasal bridge
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Growth disorders
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Learning disorders
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Microcephaly
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Neural tube defects
Vitamin K2 & Vitamin D3 in combination
Research has shown vitamin K2 and vitamin D3 may provide another level of benefits when taken together.
Several studies have shown the following potential synergistic benefits when vitamin K2 and D3 are combined…
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Increased bone formation
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Enhanced osteocalcin accumulation in cells
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Amplified bone mineral density
So, vitamin K2 and D3 work together in certain situations to help improve bone health even more.
Because vitamin D3 encourages calcium uptake to promote strong and healthy bones, it’s not only a natural complement to vitamin K2, the two nutrients work together to boost your bone health to a higher level.
Vitamin D3 is available from our online store, just click here, or to read more about Vitamin D3 please read the full article here
Disclaimer: Regenerative Nutrition advocates a holistic approach to natural health and wellbeing. The body's ability and power to heal depends upon the totality of diet, nutrition, lifestyle and environmental factors.
The information provided in this article is for information purposes only, it in no way constitutes a medical consultation, or medical advice, nor is it intended to be taken as a solicitation to purchase our products.
Always consult a health care practitioner when combating disease states.
No claim for the cure of any disease is intended, or implied nor do we claim that our products will treat, cure or prevent any disease.
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