Krill oil also contains almost 50 times more astaxanthin , a potent antioxidant , than fish oil , which prevents the highly perishable omega-3 fats from oxidizing before you are able to integrate them into your cellular tissue .
# 3 : Vitamin K2
Vitamin K2 may be just as important as vitamin D for optimal health . It ’ s essential for bone strength , the health of arteries and blood vessels , and plays a role in other biological processes as well , including tissue renewal and cell growth , healthy pregnancy , and cancer prevention . In the 2014 paper , 4 “ Vitamin K : An old vitamin in a new perspective ,” vitamin D expert Dr . Michael Holick and co-authors review the history of vitamin K and its many benefits , including its significance for bone and cardiovascular health . Vitamin K2 is an important adjunct to vitamin D , without which vitamin D cannot work properly . K2 ’ s biological action is also impaired by a lack of vitamin D , so you really need to consider these two nutrients together . Vitamins D and K2 also work synergistically with magnesium and calcium , so this quartet should ideally be taken in combination .
Whereas vitamin K1 — which is the primary form of vitamin K responsible for blood clotting — can be found in green leafy vegetables , vitamin K2 is only present in fermented foods . It ’ s produced by certain bacteria during the fermentation process . Examples of foods that are naturally high in vitamin K2 include natto ( a fermented soy product ) and fermented vegetables like sauerkraut . One of the best sources I ’ ve found is to ferment your own vegetables using a special starter culture designed with bacterial strains that produce vitamin K2 .
Raw dairy products such as certain cheeses , raw butter , and kefir also contain high amounts . However , only grass-fed animals ( not grain fed ) will develop naturally high K2 levels .
Menaquinone-7 ( MK-7 ) is the kind of vitamin K2 you want to look for in supplements , as this form is extracted from real food .
The other type of K2 , known as MK-4 , is only available in synthetic form , which has the additional drawback of having a very short biological half-life , necessitating taking it several times a day . Research5 has shown MK-7 , specifically , helps prevent inflammation by inhibiting pro-inflammatory markers produced by white blood cells called monocytes .
# 4 : Magnesium
Magnesium is the fourth most abundant mineral in your body , yet an estimated 80 percent of Americans are deficient in it . Without sufficient amounts of magnesium your body simply cannot function at its best . Insufficient cellular magnesium levels set the stage for deterioration of proper metabolic function that typically snowballs into more significant health problems .
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