Vitamin K Protects Blood Vessels, Bone Loss, Cancer and Aging!

What is vitamin K and what are the functions to our body?

William Faloon, one of the founder of Life Extension Foundation, has his answer in this excellent review article on the subject..

LE Magazine January 2009

Protection Against Arterial Calcification, Bone Loss, Cancer, and Aging!

By William Faloon

Predicting which nutrients will emerge as life-saving superstars can be challenging.
For example, a vitamin introduced just a decade ago is demonstrating profound anti-aging effects that extend far beyond its original indications.
Based on an abundance of positive findings, scientists have developed a more cost-effective form of this nutrient that enables it to stay in the body much longer than before.

The incredible news is that maintaining constant levels of this nutrient not only protects against atherosclerosis, but may reverse arterial calcification as well!

A wealth of studies published in 2008 reveals this same nutrient possesses anticancer properties while suppressing factors involved in common age-related diseases.

A hallmark of normal aging involves calcification in soft tissues throughout the body such as heart valves, glands, and blood vessels.

One might erroneously think that dietary calcium is a culprit behind pathological calcification processes. The opposite is true. When rabbits are fed calcium-deficient diets, calcification rates rise by 2.7-fold. Calcium-supplemented diets, on the other hand, reduce calcification by 62%.

The reason for this contradiction is that in response to a deficit of calcium in the blood, the body excessively robs our bones and saturates soft tissues with calcium.

As we age, we lose our ability to regulate calcium balance and then suffer the lethal consequences of systemic calcification. It is encouraging to know that a low-cost nutrient (vitamin K) can quickly restore calcium homeostasis.

What You Need to Know: Protection Against Arterial Calcification, Bone Loss, Cancer, and Aging!

• One of the pathological processes that occur with aging is calcification of tissues throughout the body. Arterial calcification increases heart attack risk.


• Vitamin K helps regulate calcium balance, keeping calcium in the bones and out of the arteries. Insufficient vitamin K accelerates arterial calcification, while restoring vitamin K2 can help reverse arterial calcification.


• Vitamin K shows promise in the prevention and treatment of numerous cancers, including prostate cancer.


• Vitamin K2 is often utilized in Japan to halt bone loss and prevent fractures, and it may complement prescription osteoporosis therapies such as Fosamax®.


• Vitamin K2 shows numerous advantages over vitamin K1, including better absorption and increased protection against heart disease


• The MK-4 and MK-7 forms of vitamin K2 have demonstrated important health benefits in numerous studies. While the MK-4 form has been shown to support cardiovascular and bone health, the MK-7 form is exceptionally long acting and reaches higher levels in the blood.


• Individuals who use Coumadin® have long been advised to avoid vitamin K, and as a result, they may suffer increased atherosclerosis and osteoporosis. Under a doctor’s supervision, vitamin K can help stabilize blood indicators of coagulation in Coumadin® users while conferring other health benefits.


• By preventing pathological tissue calcification, vitamin K may confer anti-aging effects throughout the body. Higher vitamin K intake has also been associated with reduced all-cause mortality.


• Daily supplementation with vitamin K1 and K2 (in both the MK-4 and MK-7 forms) is crucial for vascular health, bone health, and cancer protection.

read the full article here