Woman Beats Cancer With Curcumin

Dieneke Ferguson was dying. She was losing her four-year battle with the blood cancer myeloma.

INH ResearchJanuary 14, 2018

Despite three grueling rounds of chemotherapy and four stem cell transplants, the cancer was spreading throughout her body.1

She knew her death would be painful. She faced infections, unstoppable internal bleeding, blood clots, and kidney failure.2

So Ferguson decided to chuck conventional medicine. It hadn’t helped her anyway. She wanted to try a natural cure before it was too late.

She had read on the internet about the cancer-fighting properties of the spice turmeric. She stopped all mainstream medical treatments and began taking 8 grams of curcumin—the active compound in turmeric—each day.

Today, over five years later, she is healthy and leading a normal life. Astounded doctors wrote about her case in the British Medical Journal (BMJ).

Dieneke Ferguson, 67, at the Olympics in Brazil.

She felt so good that she traveled from her home in north London to the 2016 Olympics in Brazil, where she carried the Olympic torch.3

Ferguson, 67, says, “I hope my story will lead to more people finding out about the amazing health benefits of curcumin.”4

Doctors: Curcumin Saved Her Life

Her doctors are from Barts Health NHS Trust, the second largest cancer center in London. They wrote in their journal article on Ferguson: “The fact that our patient, who had advanced stage disease and was effectively salvaged while exclusively on curcumin, suggests a potential anti-myeloma effect of curcumin.

“She continues to take daily curcumin and remains in a very satisfactory condition with good quality of life. This case provides further evidence of the potential benefit for curcumin in myeloma.”5

‘A Very Potent Natural Medicine’

Ferguson was diagnosed with myeloma in 2007. In 2011, she stopped her grueling medical regimen and turned to curcumin.

By 2012, tests showed that her cancer was dormant. She no longer had any active cancer-causing cells.

It is estimated that 12,590 Americans (6,660 men and 5,930 women) will die from myeloma this year.6

But researchers say that curcumin might save some of these patients.

Turmeric, the spice from which it is derived, has been used in India as a medicine for thousands of years. It is also a staple of Indian cooking and an ingredient in curry dishes. It is ground from the root of the Curcuma longa plant.7

People in India have far lower rates of cancer compared to Americans. Depending on the type of cancer, the rate can be anywhere from eight to 17 times greater for the U.S. population.

Dr. Ajay Goel is one of the world’s leading researchers in curcumin’s health effects. He is director of the Center for Translational Genomics and Oncology at Baylor University Medical Center.

Dr. Goel has witnessed curcumin’s cancer-fighting power both in the lab and in patients. He states flatly that curcumin has “a very strong anticancer effect.”

While the mechanism behind curcumin’s anticancer effect is not entirely understood, Dr. Goel says it appears curcumin interferes with the ability of cancer cells to divide uncontrollably.

Studies Show Curcumin Stops Many Types of Cancer

Over the past 10 years, studies have found strong evidence that curcumin stops many different types of cancer:

• A Chinese study at Zhejiang Provincial People’s Hospital in 2012 found that curcumin induces cell death in triple negative breast cancer. This is considered the most aggressive form of breast cancer.

• UCLA researchers found in 2011 that curcumin activates cancer-fighting enzymes in patients with head and neck cancers.

• A 2013 study at the University of North Texas Health Science Center found that curcumin suppresses pancreatic cancer tumor growth.

• A 2006 study published in the journal Neuroscience Letters found that curcumin induces cell death in glioblastoma (brain cancer) cells.8

So why do drug companies and most mainstream doctors ignore curcumin?

It’s because compared to cancer drugs, there is little profit in curcumin supplements. Cancer medications often cost patients hundreds of thousands of dollars a year. Curcumin comes from a natural spice that can’t be patented or sold exclusively. It’s abundant and inexpensive.

Take the Right Kind of Curcumin

Curcumin alone has poor bioavailability. It needs fat to be absorbed by the body.

That’s why Dr. Goel recommends a form called BCM-95. It includes natural oils from the turmeric plant that help your body metabolize curcumin. BCM-95 is widely available at health food stores and online.

Although curcumin is generally safe, you should consult your physician before taking it. People taking blood thinners such as Coumadin (warfarin) should exercise some caution. Curcumin is not a blood thinner itself, but it can increase the effect of Coumadin and similar drugs.

References:

1 http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-5230201/Pensioner-used-turmeric-fight-blood-cancer.html
2 https://www.everydayhealth.com/multiple-myeloma/specialists/how-does-myeloma-cause-death.aspx
3 https://hiddenart.co.uk/details-of-tcurcumin-taken-by-dieneke-ferguson/
4 http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-5230201/Pensioner-used-turmeric-fight-blood-cancer.html
5 http://casereports.bmj.com/content/2017/bcr-2016-218148.full
6 https://www.cancer.net/cancer-types/multiple-myeloma/statistics
7 http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-5230201/Pensioner-used-turmeric-fight-blood-cancer.html
8 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16949208

https://www.institutefornaturalhealing.com/2018/01/woman-beats-cancer-with-curcumin/

Turmeric - This Spice Stops Cancer, Study Finds

Prostate cancer is so common in the U.S. that screening is a standard part of men’s checkups. In India, prostate cancer is so rare that it’s not even a concern.

American men get 23 times more prostate cancer than men in India.

by Garry MessickNovember 10, 2019

The story is similar for breast cancer. American women get five times more breast cancer than women in India.[1]

Here’s how the U.S. stacks up to India regarding other cancers:[2]

• 17 times more lung cancer

• 14 times more melanoma

• 12 times more kidney cancer

• 11 times more colon cancer

• 9 times more endometrial cancer

• 8 times more bladder cancer

Scientists believe they’ve discovered India’s anti-cancer secret: turmeric, the yellow powder used in curry dishes.

It is a staple food in the country. People in many parts of India eat it in every meal.

Now, new research shows how turmeric and curcumin, its active ingredient, stop cancer on a molecular level.

The study comes from Japan’s Nara Institute of Science and Technology. The research team looked at a molecule called pentagamavumon-1 (PGV-1). PGV-1 is very similar to a molecule found in curcumin.[3]

The study found that PGV-1 suppresses enzymes that protect cancer cells, causing the cells to die.

The curcumin-derived molecule was effective against a wide range of cancers.

Investigators implanted human cancer cells in mice. When injected with PGV-1, the rodents’ cancer was entirely destroyed.

Professor Jun-ya Kato lead the study. He said that considering the stunning effectiveness and “low amounts of side effects,” PGV-1 should be used to treat cancer.

Previous studies provide strong evidence that curcumin is powerful medicine against cancer:

• UCLA researchers found in 2011 that curcumin activates cancer-fighting enzymes in patients with head and neck cancers.[4]

• A 2013 study at the University of North Texas Health Science Center found that curcumin suppresses pancreatic cancer tumors.[5]

• A 2006 study published in the journal Neuroscience Letters found that curcumin induces cell death in glioblastoma (brain cancer) cells.[6]

• A Chinese study showed that curcumin makes stomach cancer less resistant to chemotherapy.[7]

• A study at MD Anderson Cancer Center showed that curcumin slowed the progression of multiple myeloma (blood cancer).[8]

With all this evidence (and this is by no means a complete list) you may be wondering why curcumin isn’t widely prescribed for the prevention and treatment of cancer.

Curcumin: India’s Anti-Cancer Secret

People in India get curcumin by eating turmeric at almost every meal. Most Americans are not willing to do this. That’s why, for most of us, curcumin supplements are the best option for cancer prevention.

Curcumin is safe for just about everyone. However, people taking blood thinners such as Coumadin (warfarin) should consult their doctor. Curcumin can increase the effect of Coumadin and other similar drugs.

Curcumin by itself is not easily absorbed by the body. Fat increases bioavailability. So taking curcumin with a meal that includes fat improves absorption.

In the war on cancer, mainstream medicine’s main weapons are surgery, chemo, and radiation. They often do more harm than good.

India clearly has a better answer…a safe, natural way to stop one of our deadliest health problems.

Editor’s Note: If you’re worried about cancer, you need to read our monthly journal, Independent Healing. It’s your best source for unbiased, evidence-based medical advice. Discover The Cancer Kill Code. It’s a secret natural trigger that detonates cancer’s self-destruct button.

Find out more HERE.

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[1]http://www.greenmedinfo.com/article/curcumin-induces-apoptosis-triple-negative-breast-cancer-cells

[2]https://nutritionfacts.org/2015/05/05/why-are-cancer-rates-so-low-in-india/

[3]https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-019-51244-3

[4]https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2011/09/turmeric-the-potential-cure-for-cancer-found-in-indian-food/245115/

[5]http://www.greenmedinfo.com/article/efficacy-liposomal-curcumin-human-pancreatic-tumor-xenograft-model-inhibition

[6]http://www.greenmedinfo.com/article/efficacy-liposomal-curcumin-human-pancreatic-tumor-xenograft-model-inhibition

[7]http://beatcancer.org/blog-posts/curcumin-and-cancer-part-two

[8]http://beatcancer.org/blog-posts/curcumin-and-cancer-part-two

https://www.institutefornaturalhealing.com/2019/11/this-spice-stops-cancer-study-finds/

Do pharmacists know enough about supplements and traditional medicines?

In the traditional sense of the words, a pharmacy is a place where medicinal drugs are sold and pharmacists are the healthcare professionals who dispense those drugs.

September 11, 2016 Health, Wellness

By TAN SHIOW CHIN

While pharmacies in hospitals and clinics usually adhere strictly to this traditional definition, most retail or standalone pharmacies tend to sell far more products than just prescription and over-the-counter medicines.

According to a study conducted by Taylor’s University School of Pharmacy associate dean (learning and quality) Penny Wong Pei Nee, nearly three out of five Malaysian pharmacies (59%) stock a large variety of complementary medicines (CMs).

Only 1% say they don’t stock any CMs at all, while the remaining 40% report that they offer a limited variety of such products.

Wong showing the Meditag hologram decoder that helps to differentiate between real and fake holograms on medicines and supplements. Photo: The Star/Rohaizat Darus

This finding is probably due to the fact that over 90% of the pharmacists participating in the study agreed or strongly agreed that such products are an important part of a retail pharmacy’s finances.

They also agreed or strongly agreed that:

• Customers now expect more information about CM products from their pharmacist compared to five years ago;

• Pharmacists have a professional responsibility to counsel customers about CM products; and

• Pharmacists should play a greater role in providing customers with safety and drug interaction information about CM products.

Over 80% also thought that pharmacists should play a greater role in recommending CM products to their customers.

Complementary medicine in this study was defined as “herbal medicines, vitamin and mineral supplements, and other nutritional supplements” that “can be bought in a supermarket, pharmacy, health-food store, on the internet, from a mail-order company or from a T&CM (traditional and complementary medicine) practitioner”.

Local usage of CM

Says Wong: “The use of complementary medicines in Malaysia generally has three purposes for consumers.

“The first one is general health maintenance, like multivitamins; (the second is) treatment and prevention of minor ailments, such as when someone has a cold or flu and are recommended echinacea or vitamin C just to boost up the immune system; and for specific serious and chronic diseases, (for example) saw palmetto, black cohosh and things like that.”

She adds that while there are no specific statistics for CM, the Health Ministry’s Health Expenditure Report 1997-2013 published last year, estimated the sales of traditional and complementary medicines to be about RM1.7 billion in 2013.

“And this is only 7% less than pharmaceutical products,” she says.

According to Wong, CM products are regulated by the ministry’s Pharmaceutical Services Division and need to be registered with the Drug Control Authority.

“A registered product would be given a hologram, and also, a registration number.

“So, all CM products will have a registration number starting with MAL, and ending with the letter T or N – T represents traditional and N represents supplements (nutritional),” she says.

She adds that most pharmacies should have the Meditag hologram decoder issued by the ministry, which can help differentiate between a genuine hologram and a fake one on all registered CM and pharmaceutical products.

image: http://www1.star2.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/sfitx_anr_1109_top5CM.PDF.jpg

Knowledge on CM

Sponsored by the Blackmores Institute, the study called Survey of Integration and Usage of Complementary Medicines in Pharmacy was conducted between last April and December, and involved 453 community pharmacists from around the country.

Around 47% of them were from large-chain pharmacies (i.e. consisting of more than 10 outlets, like Guardian, Watsons and Caring), 41% from pharmacy chains with less than 10 outlets, and the remainder were from independent pharmacies.

More than half of them (54%) received their bachelor’s degree locally, while the rest graduated from a mix of both Asian and Western countries, especially the United Kingdom (26%) and Australia (12%).

Wong notes that the respondents mostly agreed that pharmacists need to provide integrative care, i.e. the combination of allopathic and complementary medicines.

Around 93% of them agreed or partly agreed that their personal practice of pharmacy centred around integrative care.

The factors that prevented the remaining 7% from practising integrative care included lack of sufficient knowledge, lack of information sources, limited opportunity or insufficient time to talk to customers, the ineffectiveness of the product, and because the promotion of CM products is the responsibility of other colleagues.

Three-quarters of the pharmacists learnt about CM products on their own, 60% through seminars from the product manufacturer, 37% each through seminars from a professional association and lectures during their undergraduate course, and 7% through formal studies like certificate or postgraduate courses.

Six percent said they had no training whatsoever about CM products.

image: http://www1.star2.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/sfitx_anr_1109_drugcminteraction.PDF.jpg

The study also found that the top three information sources about CM products used by pharmacists were the manufacturer or brand owner’s own material or training (59%), the World Wide Web (49%), and professional seminars, conferences or lectures (43%).

The top three factors that pharmacists consider when assessing information about CM products are: whether it has a scientific basis (68%), whether it contains both traditional and scientific information (49%), and whether it has been endorsed by a professional or educational organisation (46%).

The information they provide to customers is usually sourced from books or leaflets (65%); their own knowledge (63%); textbooks, journals and the Web (59%); manufacturers or brands (50%); and feedback from other customers (42%).

Explains Wong: “So, to ensure safe use of complementary medicines or conventional medicines, when customers present with a prescription, a brief medical history should be taken by the community pharmacist to see what medications they are taking so that safe drugs can be recommended.”

The study found that nearly three-quarters of pharmacists (74%) always or often ask their customers if they take CM when they present their drug prescriptions.

Fourteen of the pharmacies also currently employ a T&CM practitioner, while a similar number said they would consider employing one.

A T&CM practitioner in this study is defined as one who is registered with the Health Ministry. However, Wong cautions that registration for such local practitioners is currently voluntary, although compulsory for foreign practitioners.

While 17% of the respondents said they would definitely not employ a T&CM practitioner, the top three factors considered most important in employing such a practitioner for those considering doing so were tertiary qualifications (65%), increasing product sales (49%) and being a member of a professional association (43%).

Advice for patients

Wong says that the most important factors for those thinking of taking a CM product are ensuring that it is a registered product and knowing how to use it.

“It is a collaborative effort between pharmacist and patient.

“We know that the pharmacist has their professional role (in educating and providing information), but sometimes, customers need to know what kind of questions they need to ask,” she says.

Some of these questions should include the optimum dose of the product (in order to achieve the optimum effect), whether it is genuine or not, and whether it will interact with whatever medications they are currently taking.

Wong says that customers should also go back to their pharmacist and report if they have any adverse effects from the CM product they consume.

http://www.star2.com/health/wellness/2016/09/11/do-pharmacists-know-enough-about-supplements-and-traditional-medicines/

Vitamin K2 Deficiency Is a Significant Cause of Cardiovascular Disease

You may be watching your vitamin D and calcium to "grow strong bones," but inadvertently be placing yourself at higher risk for cardiovascular disease. If you take these medications or eliminate this from your diet, you could be raising your risk.

July 13, 2016 

Story at-a-glance

• Warfarin and statins may reduce your absorption of vitamin K2, leading to an increased risk of heart disease, stroke, osteoporosis and cancer
• Although necessary for your overall health, vitamin D without vitamin K2 may increase your risk of atherosclerosis, heart disease and stroke
• Vitamin K2 is found in fermented foods, fermented cheeses and grass-fed meats and dairy products

By Dr. Mercola

Your body is a complex organism, dependent upon the interactions and interrelationships of organs, enzymes, vitamins and hormones. Anytime you take a nutritional supplement, especially at high doses, you affect the balance of others.

For instance, if you take a zinc supplement, you must be wary of a copper imbalance in your body. These two nutrients balance each other, meaning you may suffer from either zinc or copper toxicity if they get out of balance.

The same is true for vitamins K and D. When the ratio between these two is not balanced, it can increase your risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD), stroke and heart attacks.

But vitamin supplements are not the only thing that can cause an imbalance. In a recent review, researchers found a link between medications used to lower cholesterol levels and treat type 2 diabetes and an inhibition of absorption of vitamin K from food.1

The 2 Forms of Vitamin K

In this video, Dr. Kate Rhéaume-Bleue discusses the differences between vitamins K1 and K2 and how they interact with vitamin D, calcium and other nutrients.

Vitamin K was discovered in 1929 as part of an experiment and was associated with blood coagulation, or how your blood clots.2 There are two main forms of the vitamin. Phylloquinone (K1) is found in leafy green plants and menaquinone (K2) is found in animal meat and fermented foods. Your body can also synthesize K2 in your gut.

Vitamin K2 can be divided into subtypes. The two we understand to be important today are MK-4 (short-chain) and MK-7 (long-chain bacterial derived).

Both vitamins K1 and K2 have important functions in your body. K1 is an integral factor in blood clotting and K2 activates proteins that regulate where calcium ends up in your body.3

The importance of vitamin K2 relates to the interaction it has with calcium. How and where calcium is deposited and used by your body has an impact on your dental health, bone health, cardiovascular system and renal (kidney) health. Each of these bodily systems depend upon the correct balance of calcium.4

Your body has limited storage capacity for vitamin K2, but can recycle the vitamin so it can be used multiple times.5 The functions of the vitamin are unique and necessary throughout all your life stages.

Many Drugs Reduce Vitamin K2 Absorption

The review paper associated medications used to treat cardiovascular disease (CVD) and type 2 diabetes with an inhibition of vitamin K2 processes. These negative effects may increase your risk for CVD, diabetes, chronic kidney disease, bone loss and even mental disorders, as a result of poor K2 absorption.6

The research found a shared mechanism between the blood thinner warfarin, statin medications and vegetable oils in the inhibition of vitamin K dependent processes.7The blood thinner warfarin works to reduce coagulation through an antagonistic effect on vitamin K.

This was the design of the drug. Even eating foods with vitamin K can reduce the effectiveness of warfarin. Research has also found that:

• Anti-tuberculosis medications or anticonvulsant medications, taken when you are pregnant, may place your newborn at increased risk of vitamin K deficiency8
• Use of broad-spectrum antibiotics may alter your gut microbiome and thus reduce the effectiveness of your gut to synthesize vitamin K2. Drug classes associated with this alteration include cephalosporins and salicylates9
• Statin medications, developed to reduce cholesterol levels, also have a negative impact on your vitamin K2 absorption and inhibit CoQ10,10 both necessary for a healthy cardiovascular system.

Dr. Hogne Vik, chief medical officer with NattoPharma, a leader in vitamin K2 research and development, says:11

"We are not only finally seeing recognition that vitamin K2 is woefully insufficient in the diet, but there is a growing body of evidence that pharmaceuticals further exacerbate the problem of our limited vitamin K2 status, delivering potentially dangerous consequences for human health."

Interaction Between K2 and Your Cardiovascular System

A significant risk factor in the development of CVD is calcium buildup in your arterial system.12,13 Plaque formation on the walls of your arteries may lead to small pieces breaking off, causing clot formation. This is one of the more common reasons for a heart attack or stroke.14

Calcification of these plaque formations occurs as atherosclerotic disease progresses, which may predict your risk for future cardiovascular events.

A meta-analysis of 30 studies, including over 218,000 participants, found calcification in the arteries was associated with a 300 to 400 percent increased risk of a cardiovascular event (such as a heart attack) or death.15

Vitamin K2 regulates arterial calcification through protein modulation. In one study, those who had the highest amount of vitamin K2 were 52 percent less likely to experience calcification in their arteries and 57 percent less likely to die from heart disease over a seven to 10 year period.16

Insufficient vitamin K2 in your diet may also lead to suboptimal carboxylation and biologically inactive matrix carboxylated glutamate protein (MGP), both leading to lower protection of your cardiovascular system from calcification of the arterial system.17

Vitamin D and Vitamin K2 Need Balance

Vitamin D influences or plays a significant role in dozens of conditions, including:

Eye health	Preventing macular degeneration	Preventing dry eye
Immune system health	Preventing bowel disease	Reducing effects of rheumatic diseases
Reducing effects of multiple sclerosis	Reducing effects of lupus	Fighting HIV/AIDS
Reducing depression	Reducing potential for childhood asthma	Reducing the risk of certain cancers
Reducing the signs of aging	Prevention of dementia	Prevention of heart disease

Deficiency in vitamin D may also contribute to a number of different health conditions, all of which increase your risk of heart disease. These conditions include high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, atherosclerosis and increased inflammation in your body.18

However, like most other vitamins and nutrients, no one nutrient operates independently of others. For instance, most pasteurized milk is fortified with vitamin D. Manufacturers recognize they have effectively eradicated the natural vitamin D in the milk, necessary for absorption of calcium, and so they add it.

While vitamin D helps you absorb calcium, vitamin K2 directs your body to deposit the calcium in the appropriate places. In other words, it's the vitamin K2 that tells your body to deposit calcium in your bones and teeth, and not in your organs, arteries, muscles or soft tissue.

An effective analogy is that vitamin D is your gatekeeper, allowing the admission of calcium, and vitamin K2 is the traffic cop, telling the calcium where to go. With vitamin D and calcium you'll have the traffic, but without vitamin K2 you'll have a traffic jam and calcium being deposited exactly where you don't want it — in your arteries.

With the push for vitamin D and calcium to "grow strong bones," you may be at risk for CVD if your diet isn't rich in sources of vitamin K2. As an added risk, you may be taking medication or have an altered gut microbiome, reducing the absorption of vitamin K2.

Role of K2 in Osteoporosis

Osteoporosis causes more than 8.9 million fractures worldwide. This means a fracture due to osteoporosis happens every three seconds.19 Worldwide, 1 in 3 women and 1 in 5 men over the age of 50 will experience a fracture related to osteoporosis.

The strength of your bones is related to several factors. Both the density of the bone and formation of the bone are related to the strength of the bone. When you have density without proper formation, your risk of fracture may actually increase. Your body needs several nutrients to build strong bones.20

Vitamin K2, working together with vitamin D, magnesium, phosphorus and calcium, helps your body develop strong bones and may reduce your risk of osteoporosis. This is because nutrients in your body are interconnected in the way they function.

Vitamin K is essential to the proper development of several bone-related proteins, including osteocalcin, MGP and periostin. Vitamin K is also a cofactor in the production of gamma-glutamyl carboxylase (GGCX). Recent research links low levels of GGCX and/or vitamin K2 to bone mineralization defects.21

This means that without vitamin K2 your body produces bone with defects, reducing the strength of the bone and increasing your risk of bone mineralization fractures.22,23

Vitamin K2 Is Also Important for Your Teeth and Cancer Prevention

Vitamin K2 also plays a significant role in the health of your teeth and in preventing cancer. You teeth, like your bones, are storehouses of calcium, which supports the structure and hardness of the teeth.24 The way calcium is deposited in your teeth will either increase the hardness of your tooth or make it more brittle.

Vitamin K2 once again acts like the traffic cop, telling calcium where and how to be used in your teeth. Working together with vitamin D, it also promotes a reduction in tooth decay or cavities.25 The process of depositing calcium in areas of the body where it is not normally found may act like sand in the gears of a machine. In fact, inappropriate calcium distribution may contribute to the development of:

Gallstones	Colon cancer
Liver cancer	Ovarian cysts
Bone cancer	Breast cancer
Prostate cancer	Lung cancer
Dementia	Leukemia
Varicose veins	Macular degeneration

German doctors evaluating the effect of vitamins K1 and K2 on the development and treatment of prostate cancer found that those who consumed the greatest amount of K2 had a 63 percent reduced incidence of advanced prostate cancer.26,27

Vitamin K2 has demonstrated the ability to induce cell destruction in leukemia cells outside the body.28 The vitamin also demonstrated inhibitory effects on myeloma and lymphoma. Following treatment for liver cancer, those who took K2 supplements experienced a 13 percent relapse of the cancer while those who did not experienced a 55 percent relapse rate.29,30

Enjoy the Benefits of K2

How do you know if you're deficient in vitamin K2? According to Rhéaume-Bleue, there are several questions you can ask yourself, and depending upon the answers, you'll have a good idea if you are deficient. Estimates suggest up to 85 percent of Americans are vitamin K2 deficient.

•Do you suffer from health conditions associated with vitamin K2 deficiency? Some of these conditions are listed above.

•Do you eat meats, dairy or cheeses from grass-fed sources? Grass-fed beef and the dairy products from these animals are higher in vitamin K2 and healthier for you.

•Do you eat fermented foods? The bacteria in the fermentation process produce vitamin K2 in the food. Natto (fermented soybeans), is one of the best sources of vitamin K2. I ate it for a while, but the flavor is a bit of a challenge and probably isn't well accepted by the Western palate.

Other fermented foods like kimchi also contain vitamin K2. My favorite way of getting K2 is to ferment my own vegetables using a special starter culture designed with bacteria that produce K2.

•Do you eat Brie or Gouda cheeses or consistently eat liver pate? Fermentation in the cheese produces vitamin K2. Fermented dairy products will provide about one-third the amount per serving of natto. Ideally, I recommend fermented cheeses from raw milk. It is important to note that raw milk in and of itself does not contain K2. The vitamin is produced during the fermentation process.

If these foods aren't a regular part of your diet, then you are likely deficient in vitamin K2 and you may benefit from using a supplement. At this time, there are no reliable tests to determine your level of vitamin K2. However, while it is a fat-soluble vitamin, there is no known toxicity at any dose.

It is important to take your supplement with foods containing healthy fat to increase absorption. Of the two forms of vitamin K2, MK-4 and MK-7, the latter is the more effective supplement to use.

MK-4 is a synthetic product, having a very short biological half-life of about one hour, making it a poor candidate as a dietary supplement. After reaching your intestines, it remains mostly in your liver, where it is useful in synthesizing blood-clotting factors. MK-7 is a newer agent with more practical applications because it stays in your body longer. Its half-life is three days, meaning you have a better chance of building up a consistent blood level. MK-7 is extracted from the Japanese fermented soy product, natto.

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2016/07/13/vitamin-k2-deficiency-cardiovascular-disease.aspx