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Vitamin K2
Pop quiz: What's worse for your heart than smoking and being a full-fledged couch potato?
Answer: Not getting enough vitamin K2.
You may be scratching your head over this one. I've told you plenty about how important vitamin D is, and we all know that C is vital, along with the Bs, and many more nutrients.
But vitamin K?
Well, that's why it's called the "forgotten vitamin."
But K2 is equally, or even more important than, all the others that you work so hard to get enough of.
In fact, a new study has found that if you're low in K2, it can be a giant risk factor for heart disease. And other new research has discovered how it can lower cholesterol and even nip a diabetes diagnosis in the bud!
So, here's how to not only get more K2 in your diet, but to get the right kind.
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Unfortunately, practically all of us are deficient in vitamin K.
It's found in lots of green leafy veggies, but eating them by the truckload still won't guarantee you're getting enough.
That's because what we take in from green leafy veggies is K1, which our body converts into K2. But it's a very inefficient process, meaning we don't get as much as we should even if we're eating greens at every meal.
Keeping up with K is vital, and here's why: According to a new study published in the journal Cureus, researchers found that in countries around the world where people are typically deficient in K, the risk of dying an early death from heart disease was more than doubled!
But a second analysis, led by Dr. Norman Pollack, a professor of pediatrics at the Georgia Prevention Institute, confirmed how vitamin K can actually prevent heart disease.
Dr. Pollack said that even he was amazed to see how it is able to lower "bad" cholesterol and triglycerides. And get this, the humble vitamin did so just as well as Big Pharma's meds -- but without any of the side effects.
On top of those findings, Dr. Pollack also discovered that the vitamin can help prevent diabetes!
And other research has shown how vitamin K can "inhibit calcification of the arteries" -- otherwise known as hardening of the arteries. Dr. Pollack is hoping to duplicate those findings in several large studies he's doing.
And that's on top of what we already know about vitamin K:- Numerous studies out of Japan have found the vitamin can not only reverse bone loss, but increase bone density!
- If you're taking a vitamin D supplement, having enough K2 will be an extra boon to your bones. The two work together like a pair of superheroes where our bone health is concerned.
- If you take a calcium supplement, it's more important than ever to get enough vitamin K. Without it, calcium can end up in your arteries instead of your bones.
Seriously, is there anything this vitamin can't do?
A better way to K than those leafy greens is through fermented foods such as natto (a strong-smelling, high-in-K fermented soy dish out of Japan), sauerkraut, and miso -- another food made from fermented soy, but that tastes a whole lot better!
And if you're looking for a good vitamin K2 supplement, be sure not to get a synthetic version. Find one that's made from natto or nattokinase.
The only caution with vitamin K (and green, leafy veggies as well) is that they can interfere with drugs taken to thin your blood.
To Your Good Health,
Jenny Thompson
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