3 Nutrients That Will Supercharge Your Health
In this blog, we’ll discuss how 3 nutrients, which are extremely powerful on their own, can supercharge your health as they work together to make a dream team for your heart, bones and brain.
What Are These Three Super-Nutrients?
- Vitamin D
- Vitamin K2
- Omega-3 fatty acids
These three are the Dream Team for your bones, your heart, and your brain.
The Scary Part
Nearly every American has low levels of at least one of these nutrients. Nearly half of the population has inadequate levels of both vitamin D and K, while 95(!) per cent get too few Omega-3 fats even to reach the minimum levels recommended for heart health. And if you eat a typical vegetarian diet, you’re likely low in all three.
How These 3 Nutrients Promote Bone Health
Vitamin D
Believe it or not, it’s actually not so much a vitamin as it is a pre-hormone. Vitamin D contributes to bone health by helping bones absorb calcium and phosphorus. You can consume as much calcium as you want, but without vitamin D your body won’t absorb it. And if your calcium levels are low, your body will steal calcium from your bones in order to keep your blood calcium levels in a stable, narrow range. It does this to keep your heart beating and so your muscles will have the calcium they need to function. Over time, a lack of vitamin D will lead to osteoporosis, where your bones become porous and brittle, placing you at risk for fractures.
Vitamin K2
K2 directs calcium into your bones, instead of somewhere else, like your arteries. Calcium build-up in the blood vessels or other tissues, like your joints, is dangerous. Vitamin K2 keeps it away from these places where the calcium is not supposed to go and directs it to where it’s needed – mainly your bones and teeth. K2 also activates the hormone osteocalcin, which supports your bone-building cells called osteoblasts.
The biggest takeaway here is that any time you take a vitamin D supplement; always take it with vitamin K2. And that K2 must be in the MK-7 form. Check the label.
Omega-3 fatty acids
These promote bone health by keeping inflammation under control. Inflammation can activate osteoclasts, which are cells that break down bone. Under healthy conditions, osteoclasts have a specific job, but if you’re if you’re constantly inflamed, you can create a situation where they start damaging your bones.
On the flip side, the omega-3 fatty acids DHA and EPA (which are in fish oil) increase osteoblast activity. That’s good because osteoblasts are bone-building cells.
So, Omega-3s work on both sides of the equation. They prevent inflammation, which is a cause of bone breakdown, and they support the bone-building cells.
Omega-3s also keep Omega-6 fatty acids in check. Omega-6s generally increase inflammation and you’ll frequently find these fats in unhealthy foods. If you don’t have enough 3s, things start to go out of balance, inflammation spins out of control, and the cycle of bone loss is activated.
A Tremendous Trio For Heart Health
Higher vitamin D levels are linked to better blood pressure, lower risk for stroke, and healthy blood vessel linings. However, a lack of vitamin D increases inflammation and increases your risk for a diagnosis of diabetes. And diabetics are at much higher risk for heart disease.
Vitamin K controls where calcium is deposited, which is important for heart health. It also prevents vascular damage by activating proteins called Matrix GLA, which pull calcium out of your blood vessels to keep them flexible. Blood vessels stiffened by calcium buildup will restrict blood flow to your heart and other areas.
Omega-3s benefit your heart by controlling inflammation, reducing plaque buildup in your blood vessels, and reducing triglyceride levels in your blood. Omega-3s can also have a positive effect on blood pressure and clotting.
Getting These 3 Nutrients For Good Health
Boost your vitamin D by:
- getting short stints of sunshine without sunscreen
- eating fatty fish
- eating egg yolks
- eating beef liver
- taking a vitamin D3 supplement that includes vitamin K2 (in the MK-7 form).
Boost your Vitamin K2 by:
- eating egg yolks
- eating plenty of fermented vegetables
- use my personally designed supplement called Vitamin D3 + K2, which has an ideal ratio between D3 and K2
Boost your Omega-3 fatty acid intake (especially DHA and EPA) by:
- consuming several servings per week of fatty cold water fish like salmon
- taking an Omega-3 supplement, especially if your diet lacks in these food sources or inflammation is an issue in your body.
The Best Advice Of All
Take your Omega-3 supplement, your vitamin D supplement, and your K2 supplement all at the same time. They’re all fat soluble, so consuming them with a fatty meal is ideal for absorption.
Don’t miss out on these three nutrients. Get them in your food, for starters. But remember, most people are deficient in them, so take a supplement as well. They’re just too important for your health.
"I’ve tried several different brands of fish oil and this one is by far the best. My Dr. recommended this brand to me and I’m glad she did."
Martin Burgland | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Omega-3 Fish Oil
Sharing is Caring
Know Your Body - Know Your Health
There is certainly no shortage of health advice out there. I admit it’s a lot to navigate, understand and trust...
At the forefront of the health and wellness industry, I come across a lot of misleading information – a lot!...
The benefits of omega-3 fatty acids found in fish support your health from head to toe – your brain, eyes,...
When you think of silver, images of jewelry and dining utensils may come to mind, so you may be surprised...
It’s well known that nutritional status is a leading determinant of immune function. Simply put, the presence (or lack of)...
What you put in your body – or don’t – has a ripple effect on every physiological process happening inside...