In order for Calcium to get where it needs to go, you have do have D to absorb it, K2 to tell it where to go, magnesium and potassium to get it there, and boron and zinc to keep it there!! It's been a struggle for me, let me tell you! The kicker was the Boron... Made SO much difference. Apparently, you know how magnesium is just getting recognized for the widespread deficiencies? Boron is on the bus right behind it for being critical, but unrecognized...

Edited to add: apparently, most of us don't need to take calcium at all - we're just so nutritionally deficient that we can't absorb it, route it, move it, and store it properly... I found this fascinating!

@mikealk342 This article was the one that got me researching all of this. Sounds like it might apply to you, too. Very interesting and educational!

http://gwens-nest.com/high-blood-calcium-parathyroid-tumor/

Just to add emphasis to what others have said, K2 is vital to making sure calcium goes where it is supposed to go (bones and teeth) and not where it shouldn't (arteries causing CVD or joints causing arthritis).

One reason most people don't know much about K2 is for decades researchers assumed it was the same as K1. Now that they realize the difference, it looks like the general population is deficient primarily because sources have slowly gone away.

It is only available in animal sources and some fermented foods. Natto is the best source, but it is rarely eaten outside Japan. Dairy from grass fed cows is a good source, but most dairy found now is from grain fed cows, so it is not so good.

Here is one more link for you to check out that gives a good history from the Weston A Price Foundation.

https://www.westonaprice.org/health-topics/abcs-of-nutrition/on-the-trail-of-the-elusive-x-factor-a-sixty-two-year-old-mystery-finally-solved/

To satisfy the research regarding K2 as I do go through the medical/research journals regarding this, however since most are not as nerdy as me, I tend to share the more easily digestible articles that match up with the research I find:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5494092/

https://academic.oup.com/jn/article/144/5/743/4615722

It's worth noting that organizations and governments tend to be notoriously behind the actual research.

From this one: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16594930

A double-blind randomized placebo-controlled study of 63 postmenopausal women with osteoporosis. The vitamin K2 group (n = 33) received 45 mg menatetrenone and 1500 mg calcium carbonate per day and the control group (n = 30) received placebo and 1500 mg calcium carbonate per day for 48 weeks.
[...]
After 48 weeks of treatment, the mean percentage change of lumbar BMD in the vitamin K2 group was significantly higher (P < 0.05) than that of the control group. The undercarboxylated OC level decreased by 55.9% in the menatetrenone group and 9.3% in the control group compared with the baseline level.

In other words, K2+calcium is proven better for bone health than calcium alone in the gold standard of tests (double-blind randomized, placebo controlled).

A more recent review of several randomized control trials also show better skeletal health with K2 - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24841104

And another RCT with calcium+D3 vs calcium+D3+K2 - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21860562

Regarding Vitamin K supplementation vs food sources - while food sources of micronutrients is almost universally the preferred route whenever possible, K2 is a fair bit more difficult to obtain or know how much you're getting, because a) it's not tracked as distinct from K1, despite its drastic difference in action, and b) it's only found in significant levels in a handful of foods. Now, as low-carbers, we're more likely to eat those foods (dairy, certain meats), but some of the research suggests that even in those items, the K2 levels are found most optimally under certain conditions (for example, with butter, there's more K2 in fully grass fed butter than in grain-supplemented butter), so odds are pretty good that while we might not be deficient per se, our levels probably aren't optimal and we could benefit from supplementation.

Additionally, the test for vitamin K deficiency is rarely used and generally only ordered if the patient has demonstrated bleeding or clotting issues (at which point the person is severely deficient), and even then, it's not definitive until...vitamin K supplementation is prescribed and a follow-up test and bleeding/clotting issue improves.

Furthermore, vitamin K has a low toxicity level. In other words, it's almost impossible to overdose on it. Now, it does have a few interactions to some medications, so it's definitely worth further research and discussion with your doctor if you're taking one of the listed medications. The most important of these interactions is with anticoagulants.

However, if you're not taking any of the listed medications, it's safe to consider supplementing it, but if you're at all unsure, by all means, talk to your doctor about it.

By the way, "talk to your doctor" is implied in all information provided in this group that's health related (and explicitly stated in the site's Terms and Conditions). We encourage self-advocating, being an informed patient, and working with doctors in a collaborative relationship, but the information provided here does not replace medical care. The goal here is to provide the information to allow people to make informed choices for themselves.

Keto_Vampire wrote: »

Gullibility is @ an all-time high with the internet

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