Most of us may have some vague sense of having heard about something called vitamin K. But it's unlikely that we have any idea of what vitamin K is or what it does. For those knowledgeable about health issues you may recall that vitamin K helps blood coagulate. In fact, the vitamin got its name from the Danish researchers who discovered it. The "K" stands for "koagulation," the Danish version of "coagulation."

Well, times have changed. Vitamin K is here with a vengeance. Recent research has shown it to be a powerful antioxidant, stronger than vitamin E or coenzyme Q10. It has been shown to help prevent degenerative diseases like osteoporosis and heart disease.

Let’s take a closer look at this new-found powerhouse.

The good news about vitamin K is that is does a lot more than previously thought. It is a potent anti-aging vitamin with many important applications throughout the body. Vitamin K accumulates in the heart, lungs, liver, pancreas, kidneys, and in the blood. It has broader health applications than scientists ever imagined. While it was long thought that we all had sufficient amounts of vitamin K in our bodies, recent research indicates that many of us suffer from vitamin K deficiencies.

Vitamin K and Anti-aging

Anti-aging research has found that as we age we suffer from increased inflammation that can cause everything from heart disease to mobility impairments. It seems that during the aging process the body increases certain hormones and decreases others. One of those that is increased is called Interleukin-6 (IL-6). This biochemical messenger increases inflammation throughout the body and has been implicated in arthritis, diseases of the blood vessels, heart disease and Alzheimer’s.

Scientists have found that vitamin K reduces Il-6 and may have a major role to play in reducing many of the degenerative diseases that plague the Western world.

Arteriosclerosis

Hardening of the arteries is caused by calcification. When calcium enters the arteries lesions are formed that lead to their progressive degeneration. This process is associated with heart disease. Scientists in Japan indicated that when vitamin K was introduced it significantly reduced the amount of calcium in the aortas of rats that had been fed a diet designed to harden their arteries. Damage to the heart valves was reduced by vitamin K.

Osteoporosis

The other side of calcification of the arteries is the leaching of calcium from the bones. This is known as decalcification. Amazingly, vitamin K has been found to regulate the flow of calcium in and out of the bones and arteries. It keeps calcium out of the arteries and in the bones!