HEALTHY LIVING
Build Strong Bones — for Life W
New research shows just how important the vitamin D, K1, K2 connection is. :: BY DAVID ALLIOT
A
lot rests on your bones — after all, when they are in poor health with nutritional defi ciencies
you know fast. Not just from diseases that grab headlines, like osteoporosis (which aff ects not only women but also men at alarming rates), but also from day-to-day simple movements, when just getting upright can become a problem. So, it’s up to you to support a body
on the move. That’s an important distinction
because there’s a lot you can do to keep your bones healthy. “You can be put on a natural regimen that actually reverses faltering bone density and builds stronger bones,” says Dr. David Brownstein. A leading holistic medicine practitioner, he’s the author of the Natural Way to Health newsletter and a board-certifi ed physician. No discussion on bone health can begin without the key
players: vitamin D and little-known vitamins K1 and K2.
THE CONNECTION IS MADE In recent years, there’s been a fl urry of new advances from studies that show a vital connection between the tried-and- true vitamin D and relative newcomers vitamins K1 and K2. All three are fat soluble, absorbed and stored with the fats you eat, as opposed to water soluble, which are eliminated with excess water from your body. The studies show just how
important these key players are to your body. In fact, the National Institutes of Health published this connection in the 2017 International Journal of Endocrinology: “Vitamins D and K . . . play a central role in calcium metabolism. Vitamin D promotes the production of vitamin K-dependent proteins, which require vitamin K . . . in order to function properly.” The connection is clear:
Vitamin D helps you absorb and retain calcium and phosphorus, “critical for building bone,” according to Harvard’s School of Public Health. “Many of the body’s organs and tissues have receptors for vitamin D,” underscoring the need to get enough. Vitamin K1 helps with blood fl ow and bone strength. Without vitamin K, your body could not produce prothrombin, a blood clotting component necessary for healthy blood formation and bone metabolism. Vitamin K2 works in sync with K1 and is essential for a healthy heart, strong bones, and healthy blood fl ow. It’s so important it is considered the taxi that gets calcium to your
bones. Not just any vitamin D, though. “If you are
94 NEWSMAX MAXLIFE | AUGUST 2023
As Far as the Sun . . .
hile it’s true the sun can spur vitamin D production,
catching rays through of ice or car windows won’t help, as window glass completely blocks the necessary ultraviolet light.
supplementing with vitamin D, I suggest using the natural form vitamin D3, cholecalciferol,” Brownstein tells Newsmax. “Avoid the synthetic form, vitamin D2, ergocalciferol.”
NOT JUST FOR WOMEN It’s often thought that only women need to watch their vitamins D, K1, and K2 levels due to their risk of osteoporosis. But men are also at risk. According to the Bone Health and Osteoporosis Foundation, up to 1 in 4 men over 50 will break a bone due to osteoporosis.
BONE UP ON REDUCING YOUR RISK “It is well known that the vast majority of Americans suff er from low levels of vitamin D,” Brownstein says. Plenty of fatty fi sh and fi sh oils are a good start. For vitamins K1 and K2, dark leafy green vegetables like kale, and meat liver and fermented foods like cabbage, will help. Most people do not get anywhere near the amounts of these critical vitamins necessary to achieve healthy bones, however. That’s where the need for a quality supplement becomes clear. “I recommend vitamin D to all my patients,” says Brownstein. “A daily dose of 2,000 IU to 6,000 IU is perfectly
safe to take, unless you have kidney problems.” Expressed in micrograms, that’s about 126. So get moving now with a plan to
protect your bones throughout your life.
WOMAN/YACOBCHUK©ISTOCK / VITAMIN K2/ADISAK RIWKRATOK/SHUTTERSTOCK
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