‘Forgotten vitamin’ can actually put your heart risk into reverse
You’re not as old as you feel — you’re as old as your arteries say you are.
Because arteries that are damaged, blocked and hardened” with a buildup of plaque can cause all the diseases that go hand-in-hand with old age.
I’m talking about high blood pressure, angina, arm and leg pain, kidney failure, and even deadly strokes and heart attacks.
But what if you could actually reverse years of hardening in your arteries and stop these killer diseases in their tracks — all without ever touching a prescription drug?
Dutch researchers have proven it’s possible. And it’s all thanks to a powerful vitamin that most of us — and even out doctors — never think about.
But if you want to do all you can to live a long healthy life, tie a string around your finger that will remind you to take K2. Especially if you want to keep your arteries elastic, smooth and protected from the ravages of plaque buildup.
Now, K2 is no stranger to scientists. Numerous studies have shown that it can protect your bones and your brain.
But what those Dutch researchers found should have knocked the socks off cardiologists around the world.
They gave 250 post-menopausal women either a daily vitamin K2 supplement or a placebo for three years. And they found that K2 may be like a fountain of youth for your arteries.
If K2 just kept your arteries from getting harder, that would be impressive enough. But the women who took it actually had more flexible and supple arteries by the end of the study.
In other words, K2 didn’t just stop deadly arterial disease in its tracks — it actually put it in reverse gear.
Hardening of the arteries isn’t something that happens overnight. By the time we’re in our 50s, it can have set the stage for serious heart issues in our senior years.
And, believe it or not, the cholesterol-lowering statin drugs that the mainstream is handing out like candy — supposedly to protect our hearts — are making the problem worse.
That’s because one of the nastier side effects of statins such as Lipitor and Crestor is to starve your body of adequate supplies of vitamin K2. And when that happens, you’ve got the perfect storm that can fast-track the hardening of your arteries.
That makes taking statins to save your heart about as logical as putting a plastic bag over your head to help you breathe.
So how can you make sure you’re getting enough vitamin K to keep those arteries in tip-top shape? Well, plan to spend a lot of time at the salad bar.
Most of our dietary sources of vitamin K come from dark, leafy greens such as kale and spinach. Even then, however, our body still needs to convert that form — called vitamin K1, into the heart-friendly K2.
Of course, getting Americans to eat their veggies is a tough task — which is why most of us are deficient in K2.
So unless you’ve acquired a taste for fermented soy (especially as prepared in a traditional Japanese dish called natto), which is the best food source of vitamin K2 you can find, a supplement is an easy way to make sure you’re getting enough.
But when you’re shopping for a vitamin K supplement, be sure to avoid the synthetic versions. Find one that’s made from natto or nattokinase, which is the beneficial bacteria found in natto.
Sources:
Menaquinone-7 supplementation improves arterial stiffness in healthy postmenopausal women” Thrombosis and Haemostasis, 2015, th.schattauer.de
