If you or your loved one are concerned about osteoporosis—and you should be—here is the simple but too often overlooked truth about how this prevalent bone disease operates. What the public at large tends not to realize — and what your doctor may not be aware of — is that both osteopenia and osteoporosis are entirely preventable.
Vitamin K has recently been identified as an important nutrient in bone health. Several studies have indicated that low vitamin K levels are associated with a higher risk for osteoporosis and bone fractures, and that supplementation with vitamin K increases bone mass and mineralization of the bone matrix.
It is important to note, there are many forms of vitamin K, vitamin K1 (phylloquinone) being the most common. Vitamin K2 (menaquinone) is the most important nutrient in the calcium recycling process. Researchers have recently found that supplementation with menaquinone-7 (MK7), a long chain vitamin K2 molecule, is the form that protects against osteoporosis and reduces the risk of bone fractures. Furthermore, when combined with vitamin D, the MK7 form of vitamin K2 has actually been shown to promote bone growth. It does this by increasing the production of osteocalcin in osteoblasts, which allows calcium to anchor to bone and thus build bone. It also inhibits the production of osteoclasts, which break down bone.5