Keeping Calcium where it belongs as you age

Vitamin’s K and D are important for health and even more important for good health as you age. Earlier posts discussed the fact that most adults today are deficient in Vitamin D and probably never heard of Vitamin K but today’s post is about the importance of both Vitamins working in tandem to keep calcium in the bones where it belongs and out of the arteries where it doesn’t.

Osteoporosis and  atherosclerosis are linked

People with osteoporosis are more likely to have atherosclerosis calcification of the blood vessels and people with atherosclerosis are more likely to have low bone mass. Both groups exhibit insufficient vitamin K.

We have long understood the role of Vitamin D in maintaining healthy bone structure. Only recently have we discovered that Vitamin D inhibits calcification of the blood vessel walls. Recent studies show that there is a strong relationship between deficiency of Vitamin D and cardiovascular disease.  Because both of these vitamins have an important role in managing calcium, you need to be sure that you have sufficient amounts of both.

Vitamin K has been primarily associated with blood clotting but the same chemical reactions control bone mineralization as well both replenishment of existing bone and formation of new bone tissues. In addition Vitamin K also protects against the calcification of arterial walls.  The levels of vitamin K that provide blood clotting are insufficient to manage bone mineralization.

Make sure that you have sufficient levels of both vitamins

The key information is that Vitamin D alone is not enough to restore bone levels but the combination of Vitamins D and K will. With all the hype about Vitamin D deficiency lately, you are more likely to be taking a supplement. Without the synergistic Vitamin K supplementation to go with it, you will be losing the fullest benefit. The two vitamins working together help regulate the calcium deposits in the body making sure that the calcium is deposited in the bones and not in arterial walls. Recent studies suggest that having adequate doses of both Vitamins D and K is good protection from two of the deadly diseases associated with aging, osteoporosis and atherosclerosis. If you suffer either or both, you should immediately consider supplementation with D and K and if you are healthy, making sure that you have sufficient levels of both vitamins will help insure that you stay that way.

Details about the studies cited are available in the September 2010 issue of Life Extension Magazine (www.lef.org), ‘Brittle Bones and Hardened Arteries:The Hidden Link.‘