Osteoporosis and vitamin K2

Without vitamin K2, calcium and vitamin D3 cannot be optimally and safely used for bone health, and daily supplementation of vitamin K2 is a proven way to solve this deficiency.

AUTHOR: Zagorka Blaževska, M.Pharm, MBA, Vitanova

Our bones play many roles in our bodies –providing structure, protecting organs, anchoring muscles and storing calcium. It is important to build strong and healthy bones during childhood and adolescence which is the most intensive bone – building period. You can also take steps during adulthood to improve and protect your bone health.

What are healthy bones?

Healthy bones are bones that are dense and strong. Your bones are a living part of your body and despite their strength, they are flexible. They can heal themselves when broken, and are constantly being renewed by your body. Your bone health is important as your bones support your body, help you move around and protect sensitive organs like your heart and lungs.

What are the symptoms of poor bone health?

Signs of poor bone health include stooped posture and loss of height, and a common symptom is unexplained back pain or general pain in bones and joints. Broken bones caused by a minor fall or small injury are also a sign of poor bone health. If your bones are extremely weak, you may experience damaged or fractured bones caused by everyday movement and pressure on your bones.

What affects bone health?

A number of factors can affect bone health. For example:

• the amount of calcium in your diet

• physical activity

• tobacco and alcohol use body constitution - you're at risk if you are extremely thin (with a body mass index of 19 or less) or have a small body frame because you might have less bone mass to draw from as you age.

• sex - you're at greater risk of osteoporosis if you're a woman, because women have less bone tissue than do men.

• age

• race family history

• hormone levels

• eating disorders and other conditions

• certain medications.

What is osteoporosis?

Osteoporosis is defined as a metabolic illness of bones, which characterizes with low bone mass and decrease of the bone mass and thickness.

It is a condition where bones become thin and lose their strength, as they become less dense and their quality is reduced. This can lead to broken bones, which cause pain, disability, and make everyday activities extremely difficult. Around the world, one in three women and one in five men over the age of fifty will suffer a broken bone due to osteoporosis. Everyone is at risk for developing osteoporosis and having fractures as a result. Although the main factors for increasing the risk are age and sex. However, women over the age of 50 or postmenopausal women have the highest risk of developing osteoporosis.

Age and osteoporosis affect men also. You might be surprised to know that men over the age of 50 are more likely to have an osteoporosis-induced bone break than to get prostate cancer. About 80,000 men per year worldwide are expected to break a hip, and that number is constantly increasing.

Some common symptoms of osteoporosis are:

• loss of height

• change in posture (stooping or bending forward)

• shortness of breath (smaller lung capacity due to smaller disks) bone fractures pain in the lower back.

Calcium, magnesium, vitamins K2 and D3

Calcium is the building-block of strong bones. Vitamin D3 is an essential helper to calcium because it transports calcium through the intestine wall and into the bloodstream where it can be put to work. Vitamin K2 activates osteo­calcin proteins which incorporate calcium into the bone matrix. Without K2, calcium and D3 are unable to optimally and safely support bone health.

Daily supplementation of vitamin K2 is a proven way to address deficiency. A study with healthy volunteers demonstrated that prior to K2 supplementation levels of inactive osteocalcin (uOC) were high, whereas following supplementation uOC levels were lower and most osteocalcin was activated. Studies indicate that a daily dosage of 90 μg to 120 μg of vitamin K2 is required to achieve adequate osteocalcin activation.

Vitamin K2 regulates bone remodeling

An important review article published in 2017 (V.D. Myneni and E. Messy) summarizes how vitamin K2 regulates bone remodeling, a continuous process that helps maintain bone structure, bone mass, and calcium homeostasis. The skeleton is a living organ comprised of two types of tissues that consist of blood vessels and living cells that need amino acids, fatty acids, carbohydrates, minerals and vitamins to function properly. The cortical bone is the hard, outer layer which provides body support and protection of the organs. The porous and metabolically active inner layer, the trabecular bone, is where minerals are stored. Osteoblasts, osteocytes, and osteoclasts cells are responsible for bone remodeling. Main Evaluation: old and micro­damaged bone are continuously replaced through the bone remodeling cycle, which consists of five distinct and overlapping phases.

Results: vitamin K2 regulates the bone remodeling cycle at several levels:

1. Osteoclasts - vitamin K2 inhibits osteoclast differentiation.

2. Osteoblasts ­ vitamin K2 stimulates osteoblast development and protects them from cell death leading to increased osteoblast , lining cells and osteocytes.

3. Osteocalcin ­ vitamin K2 activates or carboxylates osteocalcin that allows binding the calcium and hydroxyapatite crystals.

KAPPA BIOSCIENCE is a pioneer in the development of biologically active vitamin K2 MK­7 under the name K2VITAL. The innovation of the synthesis of MK­7, combined with other KAPPA innovations, like the patented process of microencapsulation K2VITAL DELTA which ensures the stability of K2 in mineral formulations, are the confirmation of the innovation and quality of the K2VITAL brand.

Official representative: Vita Nova www.vitanova.com.mk/ www.linkedin.com/company/2966991/