It would be nice not to worry about sagging skin, varicose veins or anything else that makes you look “mature.” And how great would it be if the number of years you lived didn’t add up to bone loss, osteoporosis and even heart problems?
But that’s not possible, right? According to the medical community, those things are just a part of aging.
But there’s a powerful little vitamin that you’ve probably never heard mentioned in conversations about aging — Vitamin K (specifically vitamin K2).
Vitamin K2 is a fat-soluble vitamin that plays a number of roles to keep you healthy and young — most of which have to do with the nutrients’ role in preventing calcium from being deposited in the wrong places.
Although calcium is a very important mineral, if it doesn’t move through the body to your bones, where it’s needed, many things can go wrong.
First, you lose bone mass — think thinning bones. If you’re nearing or currently in menopause, your danger is further escalated.
In females, the falling levels of estrogen experienced during menopause can add up to a full 20 percent loss of bone density, ramping up the risk of osteoporosis and fractures.
Next, if calcium is deposited in your arteries instead of your bones, they harden, your blood pressure goes up and your risk of heart attack and stroke rise.
If you get enough vitamin K2 then you don’t have to worry about those things. vitamin K2 directs calcium to the skeleton, while preventing it from being deposited where it is not needed, like in the arteries.
Vitamin K2 also stops excess calcium from building up in the elastin of your skin — something that’s very important if you want to keep your skin looking youthful and prevent sagging and wrinkles.
Research shows that women who have the most wrinkles are much more likely to suffer from low bone density.
With all of these benefits, it’s obvious that vitamin K2 could make a big difference in both your health and how well you age — inside and out.
But did you know that about 33 percent of people are estimated to be deficient in the nutrient? And you’re more likely to suffer from deficiency the older you get, especially if you’re already living with high blood pressure, Type 2 diabetes, kidney disease or heart disease.
In fact, low K levels can be caused by poor diet, drinking alcohol or even some of your prescription medications, like cholesterol drugs.
And to make matters worse, digestive problems can lower your vitamin K levels even more.
What then is the best way to get more vitamin K in your diet? The answer is simple: from the food you eat along with a high-quality supplement.
Good sources of vitamin K2 include:
• Hard cheese
• Soft cheese
• Egg yolk
• Chicken liver
• Butter
• Chicken breast
• Ground beef
Also, you can eat the naturally fermented soy product called natto. It’s a food that’s been eaten in Japan by some of the longest lived humans on earth, for thousands of years. It is safe, therapeutic and preventative, with no side effects. Natto gives you 850 mcg per serving of the special form of vitamin K2 called mk7, which also helps normalize blood pressure and improves blood flow by destroying clots.
Some people don’t like the texture of natto, but that can be alleviated by adding it to stir-fry dishes. The pan or stir-fry along with other vegetables makes natto tastier — more like traditional beans.
