Posts Tagged ‘vitamin K’

Heart disease prevention and reversal is dependent on lifestyle. So many of our body’s critical functions dependent on micronutrients for normal muscle and nerve functions. To keep the heart rhythm steady, immune system functioning, and blood sugar levels in the normal range, sufficient nutrients are needed.

Causes of Heart Disease

The most common ones are thought of as high cholesterol, high blood pressure, smoking, diabetes, family history, and stress. The problem with all these things on the front burner, we are overlooking some clearly important data. Basic research shows that high cholesterol in of itself isn’t a reliable marker. There is a gap in our basic understanding to what is going on is causing untold misery.

Ischemic Heart Disease

Ischemic heart disease is a condition of recurring chest pain or discomfort that occurs when part of the heart doesn’t get oxygen and nutrients.

Ischemic heart disease is also referred to as coronary artery disease or coronary heart disease. The coronary arteries are the blood vessels that pump oxygen-rich blood to the heart. When blood flowing through the coronary arteries is blocked, completely or partially, you are develop ischemic heart disease. This blocking of the arteries leads to a lack of oxygen-rich blood to the heart, which in turn leads to chest pain, called angina, and even myocardial infarction, or heart attack.

The epidemic of ischemic heart disease (IHD) is a phenomenon of the 21st century. It isn’t that it is a new disease, but it has reached epidemic proportions. In the united States heart disease didn’t exceed tuberculosis until the early 20th century.

Standard Thinking

Ischemic heart disease can be treated successfully with lifestyle changes, medicines, and surgical procedures. Even better, you can reduce your risk of ischemic heart disease by following heart-healthy practices, such as eating a low-fat, low-sodium diet, being physically active, not smoking, and maintaining a healthy body weight.

Another View

Heart disease is a multi-dimensional pathological condition. These are some facts: stress and infections cause Cortisol to be released, and when released in excess, can suppress immunity, cause hypertension, create insulin resistance, bring on metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes. cortisol is a “stress hormone,” which is responsible for many of the long-term health consequences.

Heart Disease is a Deficiency State

According to the national Institutes of Health magnesium keeps heart rhythm steady, keeps blood sugar levels in the normal range,  promotes normal blood pressure, and maintains vascular health. A healthy heart is attainable and the way to do it is to become a healthy person.

There are three forms of vitamin K that promote arterial health. Vitamin K1 is the form of vitamin K that is found in green vegetables and is tightly bound to the plant fiber. Vitamin K2 is found mostly in meats, dairy, and egg yolks. The very foods that we are told to avoid. The best source is grass fed beef and dairy. CoQ10 which is needed for heart health is found in red meat.

PQQ may be the first new vitamin to be identified in over five decades. It’s been found to have antioxidant and neuroprotective properties as well as contributing to mitochondrial health. Mitochondrial damage and depopulation is thought to be a major factor in some diseases, particularly those involving energy-intensive organs like the brain, heart, and liver.  This is found in parsley, green peppers, papaya, spinach, carrots, cabbage and apples.

Herbs

Silymarin know as milk thistle is protective for those at high risk for cardiovascular disease. In animal studies silmarin’s antioxidant properties were shown to reduce oxidation of (LDL). It also inhibits inflammation and inhibits arthrosclerotic activity. Turning research into reality is up the consumer.

Reversal of Heart Disease

Regenerative medicine is based on the deep-seated belief that the body including the heart can and is the process of creating functional tissues by repairing and replacing cells. All abnormalities afflicting previous generation never were on the grand scale of what we are facing now. Even modest vitamin or mineral deficiencies can increase the incidence of age-related diseases, which includes heart disease.

Heart Disease isn’t a shortage of statins, or any othe pharmaceutical, it is a product of both our food supply and lifestyle.

The importance of vitamin K can’t be overstated. Vitamin K is concentrated in dark green plants such as spinach and Swiss chard.

Prevents                                                                                                                               

It prevents arterial and kidney calcification, cardiovascular disease, and may prevent cancer. It keeps osteoporosis at bay.

This finding comes from Associate Staff Scientist, Joyce McCann, PhD, and Senior Scientist, Bruce Ames, PhD, who analyzed data from hundreds of published articles dating back to the 1970′s.

The intake of individual vitamins and minerals (micronutrients) is a major factor in the prevention of disease. The analysis, which strongly supports this theory, will be published in the October 2009 issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

Optimal Functioning

• Allow your blood to clot normally
• Help prevent postmenopausal osteoporosis
• Help prevent calcification of your arteries
• Provide possible protection against liver and prostate cancer Help
• Prevents calcification of heart valves

Sources

Excellent sources of vitamin K include: spinach, Brussels sprouts, Swiss chard, green beans, asparagus, broccoli, kale and mustard greens. Carrot tops, spinach leaves, cabbage leaves and cauliflower are also a good source of vitamin K1. Endive, lettuce, olive oil, avocados, green peas and carrots are some additonal plant foods which supply this vitamin.

Vitamin K1 is converted into K2 in the intestines, and there is some K2 in meat, liver and fermented yogurt and cheese.

Deficiency

Vitamin K deficiency produces noticeable symptoms, from bleeding gums, osteoporosis, to excess depositing of calcium in soft tissue. These are hardening of the arteries, and problems with heart valves. 

It takes a cup of Kale, collards, or spinach to meet the daily requirement of vitamin K.

Resilient Nutrient

Vitamin K is resilient, and keeps its nutritional value even when cooked or stored. This nutrient is extremely important, and there is some evidence that aging contributes of a vitamin K deficiency. Therefore it is important to increase vitamin K intake as we age. The vitamin can be fresh juiced from fruits and vegetables at home. Steaming and sauteing also are useful methods to ensure a high vitamin K intake.

Vitamin K and Medications

A few cholesterol lowering drugs can reduce the absorption of vitamin K. Antibiotics can decrease the availability of vitamin K by killing the gut bacteria that synthesize vitamin K. Broad-spectrum antibiotics pose the greatest risk of this.

Over-the-counter drugs also decrease the availability of vitamin K. These include high doses of salicylates which includes acetylsalicylic acid, or aspirin, and high doses aluminum hydroxide antacids. Also, some anti-seizure medications can interfere with vitamin K absorption.

As we age our metabolism undergoes changes, and since this population depends on medication it is important to watch vitamin K levels. Any problems with pancreatic function, liver function, or gallbladder function can increase the risk of a vitamin K deficiency.

Diabetes Risk and Vitamin K

Supplements of vitamin K 1 may offer some protection against diabetes in older men. In a study, people who took vitamin K supplements for 36 months had lower blood levels of insulin and experienced improved insulin resistance compared with the control group.

Only the men benefited from K - possibly because more of the women were overweight or obese, which alone contribute significantly to insulin resistance and diminish the body’s response to vitamin K.

In the study, there was a higher percent of obese or overweight women in the vitamin K supplementation group compared to the male supplementation group. Vitamin K is stored in fat tissue, with excess fat, vitamin K may not be readily available to cells that require it to process glucose.

Insulin Resistance Will Accelerate Your Aging.

The level of insulin sensitivity of the cell is a marker of longevity. Insulin levels play a role in chronic conditions ranging from cardiovascular disease, hypertension to cancer. Low blood sugar and low insulin levels are found among the healthiest and the longest living individuals. Men with the highest level of fasting blood sugar levels (greater than 140mg/dl) were almost 30% likely to succumb to cancer than those with less than 90mg/dl). For women it was 23% with the highest insulin levels that had the greatest risk.

A person who is overweight and has reduced sensitivity to the hormone insulin may be aging prematurely. Ample vitamin K delivers years to your life, and life to your years. You put the odds on your side by transitioning to a healthy diet with plenty of vitamin K rich foods.

NUTRIENTS

Studying anti-aging at a cellular level is the new frontier. Optimal levels of important nutrients are the foundation of health. Micro-nutrient deficiency in aging is characterized by a few markers, inflammation, glycation, and mitochondrial decay. Each of these is important to understand if staying young and healthy is your goal.

OXIDATIVE DAMAGE

Exogenous glycations are responsible for allowing food to brown when you cook. Endogenous glycation occurs in the body, and produces increased oxidative damage which is implicated in aging.  Advanced glycation end products are called (AEGs).  It is important to know AEGs are linked to many age related diseases including Alzheimer and cognitive decline.  Exogenous AEGs are at times added to enhance color, and flavor to baked goods, dark colas, and coffee.

Elevated levels of AEGs also deplete nitric oxide levels, which promotes vascular damage and an increased risk for heart disease.  AEGs age the human body faster than nature intended. Limiting consumption of baked goods, fried foods, and other high content AGE-containing foods is prudent. This is like cooking from the inside, and producing visible undesirable outward signs.

NUTRIENT DEFICIENCY

Aging is associated with a significant problem with nutrient absorption. Nutrient deficiency may explain why a quarter of the population that eats the fewest fruits and vegetables has double the cancer rate when compared with the quarter that consumes the most fruits and vegetables. Cancer occurs in the older population more frequently. Aging may be caused largely by the oxidants by- products that alter mitochondrial function.

The loss of cellular vitality begins with nutritional deficiencies. Good nutrition is a mitochondrial energy optimizer. The life-sustaining nutrients make it possible for the metabolic processes to function optimally in maturing individuals.

VITAMIN K

Vitamin K prevents age-related conditions such as osteoporosis, arterial and kidney calcification, cardiovascular disease, and cancer. It is abundant in dark green plants such as spinach or Swiss chard. It is not found in most multivitamins. Vitamin K2 the most important component for these health conditions is only found in the products of grass-fed cows, primarily grass-fed butter, cheese and milk.

There are two studies that show two forms of vitamin K: K1 and K2. The average intake of vitamin K in the U.S. is less that minimum proposed recommendations. Vitamin K2 is only present in the dairy products of grass fed cows; commercialized dairy cows are raised on grain, which means commercial milk does not contain vitamin K2.

MICRO-NUTRIENTS

Deficiencies of micro-nutrients such as B12, B6, C, and E, folic acid, and niacin damage DNA. Both B12 and B6 are implicated in causing cellular dysfunction. Anti-aging at a cellular level is the secret to both health and longevity.