Table of Contents
Acknowledgments ix
Chapter 1: The Calcium Paradox 1
Why you need to read this book, whether or not you take calcium supplements 4
Osteoporosis: Calcium deficiency 5
Atherosclerosis: Calcium excess 8
Why vitamin D won't save us from the Calcium Paradox 10
How vitamin K2 comes to the rescue 12
The calcium cycle of life 18
We all need more: Vitamin K2 deficiency is widespread 19
Chapter 2: The Undiscovery and Rediscovery of Vitamin K2 23
A brief history of vitamin K: A tale of two nutrients 24
The mysterious activator X 27
Finally understanding vitamin K2 after 70 years: What it is and isn't 39
Vitamin K1: Greens and clotting 41
Vitamin K1 deficiency is rare and obvious 43
Vitamin K2: Animal fat and calcium metabolism 44
Vitamin K2 deficiency is common and invisible 45
Vitamin K2: A new essential nutrient 47
Chapter 3 – How Much Vitamin K2 Do We Need, and How Do We Get It? 49
The lack of vitamin K2 in our diet: What went wrong? 50
The grass-fed vitamin 53
The pastured egg hunt 56
Ghee and butter oil from grass-fed cows 61
Yet another reason to avoid trans fat 63
Two types of vitamin K2 65
Natto, the slimy superfood 69
Recommended vitamin K2 intake 74
Vitamin K2 from supplements 76
Vitamin K2: Friend or foe of blood-thinning medications? 80
Chapter 4: Vitamin K2: The Ultimate Antiaging Vitamin 85
The triage theory of aging 86
Vitamin K2 for heart health 89
Rethinking cholesterol 90
Atherosclerosis: Plaque accumulation 92
What really causes heart disease? 95
Vitamin K2 trumps K1 for heart health 96
You can reverse heart disease 97
How much is enough? 100
Even more evidence for vitamin K2 and heart health 100
Vitamin D deficiency: Another risk factor for cardiovascular disease 102
Vitamin K2: Building better bones 102
The renovation of you 103
Calcium alone is not enough 104
Vitamin K2: The missing link for bone health 106
Testing for your vitamin K2 levels 109
Vitamin K2 for Alzheimer's disease 110
Vitamin K2 for wrinkle prevention 114
The way we were 115
Vitamin K2 for healthy veins 117
Aging well with vitamin K2 119
Chapter 5: Even More Health Benefits of Vitamin K2 121
Vitamin K2 for diabetes 122
Vitamin K2 for arthritis 126
K2 for brain and neurologic health 127
Vitamin K2 for cancer prevention 129
Vitamin K2 for kidney disease 137
Vitamin K2 for fertility 138
Vitamin K2 for normal facial development 140
Vitamin K2 for easier labor 147
Vitamin K2 for strong bones 150
Vitamin K2 for dental health 151
Anatomy of a tooth 152
Chapter 6: Measuring Your Vitamin K2 Levels 161
Undercarboxylated osteocalcin (ucOC) tests 163
Bone density scanning 168
Tracking your plaque 172
Chapter 7: Vitamins K2, A and D: Better Together 181
A, D and K2: A balancing act 182
Understanding vitamin A 185
Understanding vitamin D 204
Are vitamins A and D hormones? 219
What about vitamin E? 221
Chapter 8: Toward a New Definition of Nutritious 225
Defining a healthy diet 229
A whole grain of truth 230
Calcium and magnesium 233
Endnotes 237
Index 267