It seems as though each passing year brings us news of another diet discovery or magical health ingredient. Over the past decade or so, the discovery of the role of vitamins in our lives has increased dramatically. Bottles containing pills, supplements, powders, oils and capsules can be found in supermarkets these days, and not just chemists. This is evidence of the growing fascination with diets and healthy lives. It is also likely related to our desire to live longer and happier lives without having to do all of the hard work and exercise required.
Sadly, there is no pill yet that can offer us immortality, but the nutrition industry has discovered some key elements that we can all do with more of in our diets. One of these is the K2 vitamin.
The Health Benefits of K2:
Some studies conclude that an increased intake of K2 can protect us from some serious disease and age-related illnesses. Primarily, increased vitamin K2 intake plays a beneficial role in our cardiovascular system, helping to decrease the chances of dying from heart disease. But it has been found that there are other important benefits, including:
-
Better brain function,
-
Cancer prevention,
-
Strengthening bones,
-
Improved prostate health in men, and
-
Promoting healthy skin.
Perhaps one of the most surprising health effects of K2 is its possible property of reducing system-wide inflammation. This may not sound like a big deal, but chronic long-term, low level and systemic inflammation can actually damage tissues and organs over a long period of time. This damage can lead to other health problems both minor and major.
In fact, one of the leading causes of systemic inflammation is stress. Though we don’t yet understand all of the mechanisms and health problems associated with long term stress, it is clear that higher than normal levels of Cortisol – the hormone released when the body is stressed – in the body can cause both local and systemic problems, including inflammation. It often goes unnoticed and untreated, and could be considered the silent killer of our time.
Sources of K2:
K2 has often been linked to Vitamin K1, which is available more widely in the foods that we eat. Though Vitamin K1 can be converted by the body into K2, it has been shown in studies that our bodies still need a certain level of supplemental K2 in order to function optimally. The following foods contain varying amounts of K2:
-
Some soft and hard cheeses,
-
Certain fermented foods like salami,
-
Egg yolk,
-
Chicken liver,
-
Butter, and
-
Chicken breast and ground beef.
The main problem, apart from the local availability of some of these foods, is that levels of K2 vary widely. Many types of butter, for example, either contain very little K2 or don’t contain any at all.
If adding some of these foods to the diet is not possible, as in the case of some hard to obtain foods, or does not offer sufficient K2, one can find a rich source of the substance in health food stores in the form of supplements.