Why do bones become weaker?
As people age their bones tend to become more fragile, less resilient, and more prone to fractures. Bones become weaker due to loss of density over time. Density is the amount of calcified bone tissue within the bone structure. The body continuously absorb old bone tissue and create new bone tissue to replace the old depending on many factors.
Factors that may contribute to bone loss;
- Not getting the right nutrition to support natural bone mineralization
- Old Age in which the body is not able to absorb the same nutrition from food
- Lack of exercise or low body weight
- Menopause, smoking, drinking alcohol and many other
So, what can you do to increase bone mineralization and create tougher and more resilient bones? Well, two things have the biggest impact.
Active lifestyle (exercise) and the right nutrition.
What kind of exercise?
It is a well-studied fact that bone strength is dependent on physical activity. The body is incredibly good at adapting to change and if you never put strain on your bones the body will recognize this as a sign that strong bones are not needed and naturally down-prioritize bone mineralization and thus bone-strength. To train your bones stronger try to use weight-bearing exercises such as stair climbing, dancing or hiking.
So, what is the right nutrition to support bone strength?
Scientific evidence points to Vitamin D3, Vitamin K2 and Calcium as particularly important for bone health.
Vitamin D3 is a fat-soluble vitamin helps your body absorb calcium. Without vitamin D3 your body is not able to absorb calcium from food sources and bring it into the bloodstream. Vitamin D3 is difficult to get from food sources and the main natural source stem from the bodys own production when exposed to sunlight. However, few people in the northern hemisphere receive adequate amounts of sunlight to get the right amount of vitamin D3, especially during the winter months. Therefore, supplementation is the primary source for many people.
Vitamin K2 is a lesser-known vitamin, but recent scientific evidence points to vitamin K2 deficiency as a direct cause for lower bone mineralization and density. K2 ensures that the available calcium you have in your bloodstream (due to adequate Vitamin D3 levels) is effectively transported from the bloodstream into the bones causing an increase in bone density. This also ensures that excess Calcium does not build up in the arteries and thus also promote heart health. This synergetic relationship was unknown until recently. As with D3, K2 is difficult to get in adequate amounts from regular diet and supplementation may be recommended.
To sum it up,
Vitamin D3 ensures that the Calcium you eat from natural sources is absorbed into the bloodstream. From here Vitamin K2 ensures that the Calcium is effectively transported from the bloodstream into the bones increasing bone density and strength while supporting heart health in the process.
Natural sources of Vitamin K2 are scarce but include fermented foods such as Sauerkraut, Cheese and Eel, see a full list here.
Natural sources of Vitamin D3 are also very difficult to find but some include Fatty fish, eggs and hard cheese, see a full list here.
How to supplement D3 and K2?
Because of the synergistic relationship between Vitamin D3 and K2, Source of Nature has developed a combination product that perfectly balances D3 and K2 in a once-a-week tablet ensuring you have the right nutrition for bone mineralization. And it is 100% Vegan! Check it out below!
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