Antioxidants - Fighters against free radical damage
Vitamin K - "For Klotting and Kalcium"
Health Benefits of Vitamin K
Vitamin K Functions
K2 is a member
of the synergistic
Team also
includes calcium, magnesium vitamins A
D
vitamin D helps absorb the calcium from
the intestines, vitamin K2 tells it where
to go.
Two
vitamin K -dependent "Star Players" (1) OSTEOCALCIN
and (2)
MGP (Matrix GLA Protein) put calcium in bones/teeth and not in soft tissue (E.g.
arteries, cartilage)
"Impairment of the function of OSTEOCALCIN and
MGP due to incomplete carboxylation results in an increased risk for developing
osteoporosis and vascular calcification, respectively, and is an unexpected side
effect of treatment with oral anticoagulants. . . In healthy individuals, substantial
fractions of OSTEOCALCIN and MGP circulate as incompletely carboxylated species,
indicating that the majority of these individuals is subclinically
vitamin K -deficient. Potential new application
areas for vitamin K are therefore
its use in dietary supplements and functional foods for healthy individuals to prevent
bone and vascular disease, as well as for patients on oral anticoagulant treatment
to offer them protection against coumarin-induced side effects"
Cranenburg EC, Schurgers LJ, Vermeer C.
Vitamin K : The coagulation vitamin that became
omnipotent . Thromb Haemost. 2007 Jul;98(1):120-5.
(1) "OSTEOCALCIN"
Vitamin K2 - dependent
OSTEOCALCIN activation seems to concurrently strengthen bones and inhibit
(and possibly reverse) soft tissue
calcification. Vitamin K2
functions as a cofactor for the enzyme (γ-glutamylcarboxylase) that activates
(catalyzes the carboxylation of) a protein hormone called
OSTEOCALCIN , (produced by bone-building osteoblasts), which is needed to
bind calcium into hydroxyapatite crystals forming the bone matrix. OSTEOCALCIN also
appears to help prevent calcium from depositing into your arteries.
Technically -
the K -dependent enzyme catalyzes
the carboxylation of the amino acid glutamic acid, resulting in gamma-carboxyglutamic
acid (Gla); Gla's make it possible to bind calcium.
E.g. (a) OSTEOCALCIN contains 3 residues of Gla, which can
bind calcium into bone,
and (b) K-dependent gamma-carboxylation of glutamic acid residues
in clotting factor proteins makes it possible for themto bind calcium
ions, which activates the blood clotting factors
- Not only is
K2
needed to help osteoblasts produce OSTEOCALCIN to bind calcium
into bones, K2 also prevents osteoclasts
from breaking down bone
Animation showing how
K2 (MK-7) builds bones
- Studies of "healthy"adults have found high levels
of uncarboxylated (not activated) OSTEOCALCIN
and MGP in all subjects tested.
K2 activates both
proteins, so high levels of their inactive forms indicate a lack of sufficient
K2 to do the job.
Cranenburg EC, Schurgers LJ. Thromb Haemost.
2007 Jul;98(1):120-5
- Vitamin K2
is three times more effective than synthetic
vitamin K1
in raising OSTEOCALCIN - which controls the building of
bone
Schurgers LJ, Teunissen KJF, Hamulyak K, Knapen
MHJ, Hogne V, Vermeer C. "Vitamin K-containing dietary supplements: Comparison
of synthetic vitamin K1 and natto-derived menaquinone-7" Blood .
2006
- Vitamin K needs
increase with age. Individuals >70 yrsrequire higher levels
of vitamin K to keep levels of uncarboxylated
(inactivated) vitamin-K dependent protein low.
Tsugawa N, Shiraki M, et al.
Vitamin K status of healthy Japanese women:
age-related vitamin K requirement for gamma-carboxylation
of osteocalcin . Am J Clin Nutr . 2006 Feb;83(2):380-6
(2) "MGP" Vitamin K and
vitamin D
together increase Matrix GLA Protein (MGP), which protects soft tissue from
calcification. By preventing calcium crystal formation E.g.
in blood vessels, bone spurs and cartilage
Vitamin K
in hydrogenated canola and soybean oils (typically
found in processed foods) is changed to an unnatural
form (dihydrophylloquinone),
which is unable to activate OSTEOCALCIN and MGP
- such that regularly eating processed / fast foods together with
a diet low in leafy greens greatly increases risk of functional K-deficiency
Booth SL, Lichtenstein AH, et al.
Effects of a hydrogenated form of vitamin K on bone formation and resorption Am
J Clin Nutr. 2001 Dec;74(6):783-90
Those
consuming higher amounts of dihydrophylloquinone were found to have
lower bone mineral density at the neck, hip and spine
Troy LM,
Jacques PF, Hannan MT, Kiel DP, Lichtenstein AH, Kennedy ET, Booth SL.
Dihydrophylloquinone intake is associated with low bone mineral density
in men and women . Am J Clin Nutr. 2007 Aug;86(2):504-8.
