Why are so many Canadians plagued by a lack of calcium in the
bones (osteoporosis) while having an excess of calcium in their
arteries (atherosclerosis)?
This is the “calcium paradox”. Researchers have finally uncovered
the connection between these two serious health conditions: vitamin K.
Vitamin K is a group of fat-soluble vitamins first recognized for their
role in blood clotting. For this reason, it had long been thought that
deficiencies of vitamin K were rare; otherwise they would reveal
themselves in some kind of bleeding disorder.
Studies show that low level vitamin K deficiency in tissues such as
bone and blood vessels exists widely in seemingly healthy adult populations.
At the same time the discovery of vitamin K-dependent proteins in bone has
revealed this vitamin’s most important function – aiding bone development
by acting as a regulator and director of calcium in the tissues.
Vitamin K helps guide calcium towards the areas of the body where
it is needed, such as the skeleton, and away from areas where it could
have a negative effect, such as the cardiovascular system.
