What does bone density have to do with heart health? According to a recent study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, there is a link between bone density and heart health. The study was undertaken by the EPIC-Norfolk study staff at the University of Cambridge, Department of Public Health and Primary Care to determine if loss of bone density was an indicator of future heart disease. 13,666 heart healthy people between the ages of 42 and 82 participated in the study over a period of almost 9.3 years. The data collected clearly showed a correlation between decreasing bone density and heart failure. There was also a clear and quite notable correlation between increased bone density and a reduction in heart failure. For every 1 standard deviation of bone mineral increase (10%) there was a corresponding 23 % decrease in the risk of heart failure. Further study is recommended to determine the cause of that correlation. There are common biological processes that contribute to both low bone density and heart disease development that could provide the key. Osteoblasts, produced in the bone, secrete osteocalcin which plays a key role in transforming vitamin K-2 into MK-7 which moves calcium out of the arteries and into the bones.
Vitamin K is Critical To Bone Density
Vitamin K is beneficial for both heart and bone health but can be difficult to obtain from diet alone. Primarily because the soil has become deficient, it is often destroyed in the manufacturing process and our western diet doesn’t include as many food sources for Vitamin K. The food with the highest content are soy beans fermented with Bacillus subtilis var, better known as NATTO. However, it’s slimy texture and nasty taste is generally unpalatable to the western tongue. The good news is that you can find supplements that use NATTO as their vitamin K source at a reasonable price. Vitamin K marketed as MK-4 and MK-7 are synthetic and expensive, however, they are well absorbed. Watch this video for a good description of the relationship between Vitamin K and bone metabolism.
Conclusion
The good news for your heart is that improving bone health also improves heart health. Since everyone starts slowly losing bone at around 30 years of age, making bone health a priority now is certain to make your quality of life better in the future. Look here to learn how you can utilize osteogenic loading to trigger the formation of osteoblasts for new bone growth. Find a facility that uses the same QUS Achilles bone density screening that was used in the study mentioned above for a FREE bone density screening.
Comments