The secret to avoiding calcium-related osteoporosis and atherosclerosis While millions of people take calcium and Vitamin D supplements thinking they're helping their bones, the truth is, without the addition of Vitamin K2, such a health regimen could prove dangerous.

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