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One in five Americans regularly reach for vitamin D supplements, yet most are unaware that they’re taking not just a vitamin - but a hormone.While renowned for bolstering bone strength and immune health, vitamin D’s story is not straightforward. A blend of myth and established science invites a closer look into its true nature and impact.Vitamin D: Understanding Its Dual RoleVitamin D stands apart in the world of nutrients. It’s a sun-sourced substance acting as both a nutrient and a hormone. This dual role is significant, as hormones, which orchestrate many bodily functions, aren’t typically taken as supplements like vitamins.Endocrinologist...

People with low levels of vitamin K in their blood are more likely to have poor lung function and to say they suffer with asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and wheezing, according to a study. Vitamin K is found in leafy green vegetables, vegetable oils and cereal grains. It plays a role in blood clotting. Researchers say their new findings do not alter current advice on vitamin K intake, but they do support further research to see if some people could benefit from taking vitamin K supplements. The study involved a group of 4,092 people aged between 24 and...

Canadian researchers have identified a new role for vitamin K and gamma-carboxylation in beta cells and their potentially protective role in diabetes. The study explains, at least in part, how vitamin K helps prevent diabetes, and could lead to new therapeutic applications for type 2 diabetes. Vitamin K is a micronutrient known for its role in blood clotting, in particular in gamma-carboxylation, an enzymatic reaction essential to the process. It has been suspected for several years that this vitamin, and thus gamma-carboxylation, may have other functions as well. Several studies suggest a link between a reduced intake of vitamin K...

7 Reasons Not to Take Vitamin K with D If it isn’t clear from the title of my blog yet, I’ll make it clear. I don’t normally recommend combo supplements of vitamin D3 with vitamin K (either K1 or K2). I get asked all the time why my brand of D3 doesn’t have K in it, and it would have been cheap and easy to put it in there but I chose not to, because of SO many reasons which I’ll discuss today, but mainly because the combination can increase risk of kidney stones (within a few years) and may...

People taking blood-thinning medications have been told in the past to limit their vitamin K intake. Some researchers now say that may not be the best advice. Patients taking blood-thinning drugs such as warfarin are told by doctors to reduce their intake of vitamin K because it’s believed too much of this vitamin can decrease the drug’s effectiveness. This is due to the belief that the vitamin interacts with the body’s clotting process and can interfere with the drug’s blood-thinning properties. But what if this advice is wrong? According to a new clinical trial, people taking these drugs should actually...

Arterial stiffness increases risk of cardiovascular disorders and dementia. A clinical trial using long-acting vitamin K2 showed significant reductions of arterial stiffening. This provides a new opportunity to restore more youthful flexibility to aging blood vessels. Healthy arteries expand and contract smoothly with each heartbeat. With age, soft tissues such as arteries stiffen and lose youthful flexibility. The phrase "hardening of the arteries" describes loss of arterial elasticity and obstructed blood flow. This "hardening" is an important predictor of heart attack and stroke. WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW Arterial calcification is the build up of calcium inside the artery walls...

Prostaglandin, a potent bone-resorbing agent, is synthesized in osteoblast-like cells. Since vitamin K reportedly plays an important role in (viscosity, clotting &) bone metabolism, we investigated the effects of vitamin K2 (menatetrenone) on PGE2 production by human osteoblast-like periosteal cells. In cells incubated with menatetrenone (1 microgram/mL = 2.25 x 10(-6) M) for 2 days, PGE2 production was reduced to 50% of that in untreated control cells. In one of these menatetrenone at doses of 0.5-10 micrograms/mL dose dependently inhibited the calcium ionophore A23187-induced release of arachidonic acid (AA) from membrane phospholipids, and in the other the conversion of AA...

Vitamin K is absolutely essential to build strong bones -- and it is proven to prevent heart disease. For several years, compelling evidence has shown that most people don't get enough vitamin K to protect their health through the foods they eat.Green leafy vegetables supply almost half of the vitamin K for the majority of Americans. Most foods considered rich in vitamin K have shown to have less vitamin K than previously thought. Despite this vital information, the majority of multi-vitamins don't contain any vitamin K at all -- and those that do don't contain enough.Recent research supporting vitamin...

Dr. Berg discusses his theory of what may be one cause of dementia, high blood pressure and stroke and how to avoid it.

Healthy people taking vitamin D supplements are unlikely to see any significant impact when it comes to preventing broken bones or cardiovascular conditions, claims new research appearing in the latest edition of The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology. According to the AFP news agency, the study authors reviewed more than 40 previous trials in order to determine whether or not use of these vitamin supplements achieved a benchmark of reducing the risk of heart attacks, strokes, cancer or bone fractures by at least 15 percent. “Previous research had seen a strong link between vitamin D deficiency and poor health in these...