Medical Chronicle May 2017 | Page 32

CLINICAL
OSTEOPOROSIS CPD
found naturally in plants , especially green vegetables ; K1 goes directly to your liver and helps you maintain healthy blood clotting 2 . Vitamin K2 , also called menaquinone , is made by the bacteria that line your gastrointestinal tract ; K2 goes straight to your blood vessel walls , bones , and tissues other than your liver
3 . Vitamin K3 , or menadione , is a synthetic form I do not recommend ; it ' s important to note that toxicity
has occurred in infants injected with this synthetic vitamin K3 .
It also plays a role in removing calcium from areas where it shouldn ' t be , such as in the arteries and soft tissues .
The main function of Vitamin K is to activate the calcium-binding properties of proteins . K1 is mostly involved in blood clotting , while K2 helps regulate where calcium ends up in the body . Vitamin K2 activates the calciumbinding activity of Matrix gla protein and osteocalcin , which help to build
and maintain bones . It also works synergistically with a number of other nutrients , including calcium and vitamin D .
Vitamin K2 can be broken into two additional categories : 1 . MK-4 ( menaquinone-4 ), a short-chain form of vitamin K2 found in butter , egg yolks , and animal-based foods 2 . MK-7 ( menaquinone-7 ), longer-chain forms found in fermented foods . There ' s a variety of these long-chain forms but the most common one is
MK-7 . This is the one you ' ll want to look for in supplements , because in a supplement form , the MK-4 products are actually synthetic . They are not derived from natural food products containing MK-4 .
Vitamin K1 exclusively participates in blood clotting - that is its sole purpose . K2 on the other hand comes from a whole different set of food sources , and its biological role is to help move calcium into the proper areas in your body , such as your bones and teeth .
The MK-7 - these long-chain , natural bacterial-derived vitamin K2 - is from a fermentation process , which offers a number of health advantages : a . It stays in the body longer b . It has a longer half-life , which meansyou can just take it once a day in very convenient dosing .

YOUR BONES AND HEART WILL LOVE YOU **

# 1 SA ’ S SCRIPTED CALCIUM SUPPLEMENT * * Ref . Impact Rx , May 2016

MenaCal . 7™ is formulated with vitamin K2 to help keep calcium in your bones where it belongs and out of your arteries , reducing the risk of calcification and associated heart attack **
** Marsesz , Katarzyna PhD . Feb 2015 , Integrative Medicine ( Encinitas ), Vol . 14 No . 1 . Proper Calcium Use : Vitamin K2 as a Promoter of Bone and Cardiovascular Health . US National Library of Medicine , PMC4566462 : 34 – 39 . This medicine has not been evaluated by the Medicines Control Council . This medicine is not intended to diagnose , treat , cure or prevent any disease . Health supplements are intended only to complement health or supplement the diet . MenaCal . 7 tablets : Composition : vitamin K2 as MenaQ7™ 45μg ; Calcium carbonate 1300mg ; vitamin D3 as chloecalciferol 1000IU . MenaCal . 7 Chews : Composition : vitamin K2 as MenaQ7™ 45μg ; Calcium carbonate 1300mg ; vitamin D3 as chloecalciferol 1000IU . MenaCal . 7 Chews4Kids : Composition : vitamin K2 as MenaQ7™ 45μg ; Calcium carbonate 625mg ; vitamin D3 as chloecalciferol 1000IU . Contains sugar . Ascendis Supply Chain ( Pty ) Ltd . Consumer care line / Verbruikersnavraelyn : 011 036 9420 . healthinfo @ ascendishealth . com
HOW MUCH VITAMIN K2 DO YOU NEED ?
The optimal amounts of vitamin K2 are still under investigation , but it seems likely that 180 to 200 micrograms of vitamin K2 should be enough to activate the body ’ s K2-dependent proteins to shuttle the calcium where it needs to be , and remove it from the places where it shouldn ’ t . A Western diet contains as little 10 % of that or less .
She estimates that about 80 % of Americans do not get enough vitamin K2 in their diet to activate their K2 proteins , which is similar to the deficiency rate of vitamin D . Vitamin K2 deficiency leaves patients vulnerable for a number of chronic diseases , including :
Osteoporosis
• Heart disease
• Heart attack and stroke
Inappropriate calcification , from heel spurs to kidney stones
• Brain disease
• Cancer When lacking vitamin K2 , patients are at much greater risk for osteoporosis .
Researchers are also looking into other health benefits . For example , one recent study published in the journal Modern Rheumatology found that vitamin K2 has the potential to improve disease activity besides osteoporosis in those with rheumatoid arthritis ( RA ). Another , published in the journal Science , found that vitamin K2 serves as a mitochondrial electron carrier , thereby helping maintain normal ATP production in mitochondrial dysfunction , such as that found in Parkinson ' s Disease .
According to the authors : " We identified Drosophila UBIAD1 / Heix as a modifier of pink1 , a gene
32 MAY 2017 | MEDICAL CHRONICLE