Vitamin K2 has only recently been approved as an ingredient available for use in Australian therapeutic supplements by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA). Vitamin K2 provides the ‘missing link’ for strong, healthy bones while providing benefits for cardiovascular health. Vitamin K2 plays an essential role in binding and incorporating calcium into bones; so steers calcium into bones where it belongs, and away from your cardiovascular system.

Dynamic process of making bones lasts a lifetime

Bones continually change over your lifetime; right from the growth phase that occurs during childhood and adolescence through to the frailty phase that occurs in older age. Bones provide structure for your body; strong enough to withstand and adapt to physical activity, yet lightweight enough to allow flexible movement. Your body is constantly renewing and remodelling bones by breaking down old bone and replacing it with new bone – it’s a very dynamic process. It’s widely accepted that calcium (for strong bones) and vitamin D3 (improved intestinal absorption of calcium and regulation of the calcium binding protein osteocalcin) play vital roles in building strong, healthy bones, although high blood levels of calcium have been found to reduce vitamin D3 activity. This is where vitamin K2 comes into its own; vitamin K2 binds and incorporates calcium into bones, preventing calcium from accumulating in your blood and cardiovascular system. Bone loss typically occurs around mid-life, from 50-70 years of age, with postmenopausal women at particular risk. Osteoporosis is a condition that occurs when bones lose their strength and density, leaving them fragile, weak and brittle, increasing the risk of fractures. Osteoporosis affects over 1.2 million Australians, with many people unaware they have the condition.

Getting to know Vitamin K

Vitamin K is a fat soluble vitamin, required for blood clotting and calcium distribution. Vitamin K is present in 2 natural forms – K1 and K2. Vitamin K1 is found in plant sources, while vitamin K2 is produced by bacteria in the digestive tract. The main action of vitamin K1 revolves around blood clotting and vitamin K1 has a very short half-life of 1.5 hours in your body, so needs to be taken several times a day to have any effect. To positively affect bone health, very high, frequent doses that exceed recommended supplemental intake must be taken. Vitamin K2 is a group of compounds known as menaquinones (MK). The main action of menaquinones revolves around calcium distribution. Menaquinone-7 in particular, has a much longer half-life of 72 hours in your body and provides the best absorption and bioavailability of all the menaquinones.

Vitamin K2 drives calcium into bones and away from your cardiovascular system

Vitamin K2 is important for calcium distribution; crucial for building bone and bone strength. Vitamin K2 traps calcium and incorporates it into your bones, while driving calcium away from your cardiovascular system. This helps to reduce blood vessel calcification and atherosclerosis, or hardening and narrowing of the arteries. Vitamin K2 is essential in activating a specialised protein called osteocalcin, which binds to calcium then deposits and incorporates calcium into the bone matrix, strengthening bone and increasing bone density. Observational studies show that high intake of vitamin K2 is linked with lower blood vessel calcification, and lower incidence of coronary heart disease.

State-of-the-art bone health with Vitamin K2

Vitamin K2’s ability to incorporate calcium into bone and steer calcium away from the cardiovascular system supports bone and cardiovascular health. Vitamin K2, when combined with organic forms of calcium and vitamin D3, provides a state-of-the-art bone health trio.

Mr Vitamins recommends

Herbs of Gold Calcium K2 with D3

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