Vitamin-K - The Forgotten Vitamin

Vitamin-K is a forgotten vitamin. In the following article Dr. Al Sears discusses some of its outstanding nutritional values.

"Overlooked by medicine for a hundred years this forgotten vitamin may have the power to prevent heart disease and eliminate the pain from stiff, swollen joints.

I’m talking about vitamin-K.

All these years doctors thought it was only good as a blood thickener. But a new study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology found that it fights inflammation.Inflammation wreaks havoc throughout your body. It’s a direct cause of heart disease, osteoporosis, arthritis, even Alzheimer’s. Vitamin K can help prevent—and sometimes even reverse—many of these conditions.A study from the Journal of Nutrition linked dietary intake of vitamin-K to reduced risk of coronary heart disease. The study also found vitamin K reduces the calcification of your arteries. That’s the damage that occurs when calcium deposits harden and build up.

Specifically, vitamin K lowers inflammation by reducing levels of Interleukin-6 (IL-6). When you age, your IL-6 levels increase naturally. This increased level creates significant amounts of inflammation in your body.IL-6 is one of the main culprits behind Alzheimer’s and arthritis. One study found those with high levels of IL-6 had a 200% greater risk of developing a disability such as arthritis.

Vitamin K also prevents brittle bones and teeth. It helps a Gla protein known as osteocalcin regulate calcium. Without vitamin K, osteocalcins become “undercarboxylated,” meaning they can’t hold on to the calcium. As a result, the calcium in your body leaves your bones and teeth, making them weak and porous. It’s so effective; doctors in Japan use vitamin K to treat osteoporosis.

What’s more, vitamin K is an amazing antioxidant. It destroys free radicals floating in your body at a level on par with CoQ10 and Vitamin E.

So how can you make sure you’re getting enough?
Like vitamin C, your body can’t make its own vitamin K, so you need to get your supply from your diet, or from a supplement.

Green vegetables are you best bet.Here are some great sources of vitamin K: • Broccoli • Romaine lettuce • Spinach • Kale Try to buy organic when available, the concentration of vitamin K will likely be higher. You can also find vitamin K in supplement form at most vitamin shops."

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