October 20e it’s World Osteoporosis Day. According to the International Osteoporosis Foundation, the number of fractures due to fragile bones has increased by almost 20% since 1990 and is expected to increase by 240% by 2050.
One in four Americans over the age of 50 will experience an osteoporosis-related fracture.
Osteoporosis is also called brittle bone disease, which is unfortunately a seemingly accurate nickname. This is the most common form of bone disease and causes your bones to become weak, brittle and extra fragile, so much so that small actions like sneezing can break a bone.
The main contributing factor to this disease is the fact that bones are technically alive and like everything else in the human body, if it is living tissue, it regenerates. However, in people with osteoporosis, their bones grow back weaker and weaker than before, making them structurally much less healthy than they should be. This explains why actions that the average person can easily do can have extremely serious consequences for people with osteoporosis.
Anyone can develop osteoporosis, but it has been proven that women who have gone through menopause are at the greatest risk of developing this condition. This disease becomes more common as you get older. Once people reach age 30, their bone mass is lost faster than it can be replaced. So as you get older, it’s essential to consciously feed your body the right foods and nutrients to ensure you have the strongest bones possible. This process can never start too early, because the stronger your bones are at a young age, the stronger they will remain as you get older.
This begs the question, “What can you do to strengthen your bones and prevent yourself from developing osteoporosis?”
The answer appears to be vitamin K. In 2013, a revolutionary study was published confirming that postmenopausal women who took vitamin K2 daily for three years experienced a remarkable increase in bone health. In particular, the decrease in bone density in critical areas such as the spine and neck, which allowed these women to remain mobile and significantly reduced the risk of spinal fractures.
This study sparked much of the past decade’s research on the effects of K vitamins on bone health. One of the leading research programs in this field is Gnosis by Lesaffre. They are a biotech company that specializes in the development, production and sale of supplements, such as MK-7, that contain vitamin K2. Jean-François JeanneSubstantiation Team Leader at Gnosis stated: “The growing body of evidence showing that supplementing with vitamin K2 like MK-7 protects healthy bone structure is compelling.”
If it doesn’t already have enough great body-boosting properties, vitamin K goes well with other vitamins and minerals, such as vitamin D and calcium. One of the studies conducted shows the increased effectiveness and value of vitamin K when combined with vitamin D and/or calcium. The authors of this particular study concluded that “the combination of vitamins K and D can significantly increase total BMD [bone mass density] … and a more favorable effect is expected with the use of vitamin K2.”
In the latest vitamin K-affirming news, a study published by Nutrients presents the active role of vitamin K and K-related proteins in strengthening and maintaining bone health and density. Lesaffre’s Gnosis has compiled the majority of research on vitamin K and bone density, and the results emphasize that vitamin K and vitamin D are an inseparable pair for increasing bone mass density. These two vitamins work better together and produce better results together than separately.
The authors of the review state that “This synergy is particularly beneficial for individuals at risk for osteoporosis, as it provides a comprehensive approach to bone health…Current treatments for osteoporosis, such as bisphosphonates, remain necessary, but by combine with [vitamins] K2 and D3 can improve prevention. Research into long-term effects and optimal supplementation strategies is crucial as the rate of osteoporosis increases worldwide.”
Jean-François Jeanne concludes by saying that as World Osteoporosis Day approaches, Gnosis is committed to sending the “message to brand developers, practitioners, retailers and consumers – that vitamin K2 completes the triumvirate of bone health (with calcium and vitamin D). We actively support more bone research, with recent efforts aimed at reducing the side effects of bisphosphonates.”
References:
Gnosis by Lesaffre – Exploring life to improve life.
Knapen et al. Osteoporosis Int (2013)
Ma et al. Public Health Front (2022)
Zhou et al. J Bone Miner Metab (2022)
Kuang et al. Food Function (2020)
Hu et al. J Orthop Surgery Study (2021)
Aeseth JO et al. Nutrients (2024)