The other day I wrote some information on the sight about a little known supplement called vitamin K2. That post caught David's eye, who then suggested that I write more on what I know of K2. I thought that a good idea. K2 is an interesting nutrient that should be of help to others. It certainly seems to have helped improve my health since I began taking it.
Vitamin K2 has been mentioned by some in writings as a forgotten nutrient. That came about in several ways, partially due to vitamin K1's blood clotting abilities over shadowing K2. When Vitamin K was first discovered nearly 100 years ago it was realized it came in two forms, K1 (phylloquione) and K2 (menaquinone). Most research work was done on K1, the plant form of vitamin K. K2 was largely forgotten, thought to be little different than K1, used for similar functions in the body.
K2 was also largely removed from our diets when modern agriculture took over. Animals that are fed grains for most of their lives tend to produce little vitamin K2. While farm animals that roam farm lands, collect foods from pastures will have a higher vitamin K2 content in their milk, organ meats, and fats.
It wasn't until the 1970s that researchers from Harvard University discovered vitamin K2 had many separate uses in the body from its cousin K1. Originally it was found that K2 played a critical role in preventing osteoporosis and dental cavities. Since then new additional health beneficial findings for K2 are being discovered.
Years earlier, in the 1930s, researcher and world explorer Dentist Weston Price set out to observe primitive people. He wanted to find out why cavities were rare in those societies, along with why many diseases that effected modern humans where found infrequently in these peoples. Weston Price went on to write about his observations in his book:
"Nutrition and Physical Degeneration"
http://www.amazon.com/Nutrition-Phy...4206/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1335789377&sr=8-1
A key finding Weston Price made was of a mysterious substance he dubbed Activator X. Activator X was found in foods primitives cherished for good health, and reproduction abilities. The unknown substance was found in fish eggs, egg yokes, organ meats, fat from animals and in the milk of animals that ate green pasture grass.
With that discovery Price was able to concentrate Activator X from grass fed cows butter, and use this substance to treat dental patients. He found that Activator X was able to stop dental cavities from forming. In experiments he showed that saliva from patients that did not take Activator X, and ate a modern diet, would pull minerals out of teeth leaving them weaker. These patients would also have a significantly higher bacteria content in their saliva. Patients that took Activator X would often remineralize their teeth making them stronger, along with having a dramatically lower saliva bacteria content. Cavities became rare for those that took Activator X.
Today it is believed that Weston Price's discovery, Activator X, is vitamin K2.
And since the 1970s researchers have gone on to find many other uses for vitamin K2 in the body outside of cavity prevention.
* It is helpful at preventing osteoporosis
* It is the only substance know to remove calcium from arteries - helping prevent heart attacks.
* It is thought to be helpful in regulating blood sugar levels
* It is helpful in preventing some types of cancers, leukemia in particular
* Prevents wrinkles
* Prevents varicose veins
As for gut health, most important for us, I have not found any beneficial writings. With my own observations though, I believe that K2 has helped me with controlling my IBD, microscopic colitis. Possibly future research will show gut health benefits for K2.
I feel that I have only given partial justice to vitamin K2. Though to include this video below with Dr. Kate Bleue about the latest information concerning this nutrient.
"Dr. Kate Rheaume-Bleue on Studio 4 with Fanny Kiefer"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dNVK1QHegb4
Thought to mention that vitamin K2 is sold in two forms, MK-4 and MK-7. I personally take both types. This is the product I buy:
http://www.amazon.com/Life-Extensio...4S0G/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1335793206&sr=8-3
Weston Price's Activator X has also made a come back of late. Concentrated butter oil thought to be naturally high in vitamin K2 can be bought at Green Pastures.
http://www.greenpasture.org/public/Products/ButterOil/index.cfm
Overseas, an Irish firm sells grass fed dairy items. It can be found here in the US also.
http://www.kerrygold.com/
And with that said, I personally tend to avoid dairy items as they do not seem to agree with my gut.
Vitamin K2 has been mentioned by some in writings as a forgotten nutrient. That came about in several ways, partially due to vitamin K1's blood clotting abilities over shadowing K2. When Vitamin K was first discovered nearly 100 years ago it was realized it came in two forms, K1 (phylloquione) and K2 (menaquinone). Most research work was done on K1, the plant form of vitamin K. K2 was largely forgotten, thought to be little different than K1, used for similar functions in the body.
K2 was also largely removed from our diets when modern agriculture took over. Animals that are fed grains for most of their lives tend to produce little vitamin K2. While farm animals that roam farm lands, collect foods from pastures will have a higher vitamin K2 content in their milk, organ meats, and fats.
It wasn't until the 1970s that researchers from Harvard University discovered vitamin K2 had many separate uses in the body from its cousin K1. Originally it was found that K2 played a critical role in preventing osteoporosis and dental cavities. Since then new additional health beneficial findings for K2 are being discovered.
Years earlier, in the 1930s, researcher and world explorer Dentist Weston Price set out to observe primitive people. He wanted to find out why cavities were rare in those societies, along with why many diseases that effected modern humans where found infrequently in these peoples. Weston Price went on to write about his observations in his book:
"Nutrition and Physical Degeneration"
http://www.amazon.com/Nutrition-Phy...4206/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1335789377&sr=8-1
A key finding Weston Price made was of a mysterious substance he dubbed Activator X. Activator X was found in foods primitives cherished for good health, and reproduction abilities. The unknown substance was found in fish eggs, egg yokes, organ meats, fat from animals and in the milk of animals that ate green pasture grass.
With that discovery Price was able to concentrate Activator X from grass fed cows butter, and use this substance to treat dental patients. He found that Activator X was able to stop dental cavities from forming. In experiments he showed that saliva from patients that did not take Activator X, and ate a modern diet, would pull minerals out of teeth leaving them weaker. These patients would also have a significantly higher bacteria content in their saliva. Patients that took Activator X would often remineralize their teeth making them stronger, along with having a dramatically lower saliva bacteria content. Cavities became rare for those that took Activator X.
Today it is believed that Weston Price's discovery, Activator X, is vitamin K2.
And since the 1970s researchers have gone on to find many other uses for vitamin K2 in the body outside of cavity prevention.
* It is helpful at preventing osteoporosis
* It is the only substance know to remove calcium from arteries - helping prevent heart attacks.
* It is thought to be helpful in regulating blood sugar levels
* It is helpful in preventing some types of cancers, leukemia in particular
* Prevents wrinkles
* Prevents varicose veins
As for gut health, most important for us, I have not found any beneficial writings. With my own observations though, I believe that K2 has helped me with controlling my IBD, microscopic colitis. Possibly future research will show gut health benefits for K2.
I feel that I have only given partial justice to vitamin K2. Though to include this video below with Dr. Kate Bleue about the latest information concerning this nutrient.
"Dr. Kate Rheaume-Bleue on Studio 4 with Fanny Kiefer"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dNVK1QHegb4
Thought to mention that vitamin K2 is sold in two forms, MK-4 and MK-7. I personally take both types. This is the product I buy:
http://www.amazon.com/Life-Extensio...4S0G/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1335793206&sr=8-3
Weston Price's Activator X has also made a come back of late. Concentrated butter oil thought to be naturally high in vitamin K2 can be bought at Green Pastures.
http://www.greenpasture.org/public/Products/ButterOil/index.cfm
Overseas, an Irish firm sells grass fed dairy items. It can be found here in the US also.
http://www.kerrygold.com/
And with that said, I personally tend to avoid dairy items as they do not seem to agree with my gut.
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