You might be surprised to learn that a lot more goes into looking older than just wrinkles.
Factors like thinning skin, fat loss in areas that are youthful, and gravity pulling fat pads to the lower face … all play a role.
Yet it’s actually the loss of bone that can have a huge impact on how your face ages and how old you look.
When there’s bone loss on the face, the jaw changes, the eye sockets hollow and the cheeks become flat, making the face sag and look older.
But the good news is that you can slow down, stop, prevent, or even reverse bone loss.
You see, studies show that supplementing with Vitamin K2 can stop bone loss from happening, or at least slow it down. And it even improves elastin (music to my ears!).
Not to be confused with Vitamin K1, which helps blood clot, Vitamin K2 removes the calcium from the blood and puts it where it’s needed … in the bones.
Most people have plenty of Vitamin K1 but are deficient in Vitamin K2.
And trying to get enough in your diet might be difficult due to changes in agriculture and our digestive system. Alcohol and certain medications can also deplete your levels.
Good sources of Vitamin K2 are natto, butter, egg yolk, fatty meat from grass-fed animals, beef liver, fermented dishes and dairy products.
Besides putting calcium back in your bones Vitamin K2 also:
- Promotes brain health
- Protects against cancer
- Wards off heart disease
- Postpones fractures
Vitamin K2 is a fat-soluble vitamin so it should be taken with food or fish oil. Otherwise it will not be absorbed.
The RDA (recommended daily allowance) for adult males is 120 mcg and 90 mcg for adult females per day. Higher doses should be taken if you have any health conditions, are on medication, or have low estrogen. Always speak to your doctor before starting a new supplement (especially if you have health issues).
Have a great weekend!
For a younger face and bones 🙂
Sandy
References:
Riphagen, I, Et. al. Prevalence and Effects of Functional Vitamin K Insufficiency: The PREVEND Study. MDPI. 2017.
Ho, HJ, Et. al. Beneficial Effects of Vitamin K Status on Glycemic Regulation and Diabetes Mellitus: A Mini-Review. Nutrients. 2020.
Myneni V., Et. al. Regulation of Bone Remodeling by Vitamin K2. Oral Dis. 2018.
Vitamin K Fact Sheet for Health Professionals. NIH. 2021.
