35 million women in the United States age 50 and older have osteoporosis

Your body is fully equipped to build strong and healthy bones – no matter your age.

The fact is that over 35 million women in the United States age 50 and older have osteoporosis or are at risk for developing it. And that number is expected to increase to 41 million by 2020.1

But you don’t have to be one of them.

You can have strong, healthy bones throughout your life – without drugs – by eating the right foods and boosting your intake of one important nutrient.

The mainstream medical community still recommends that you strengthen your bones by consuming more calcium. They tell you to drink more milk and take calcium pills.

But here’s what’s flawed about that prescription: It doesn’t matter how much calcium you get. If your body isn’t metabolizing it properly, it won’t do your bones any good.

To prevent or even reverse osteoporosis, you need to make sure your body regulates calcium properly. And the best way to do that is by getting more vitamin K2.

This overlooked nutrient tells your body when to fuse the calcium into your bones to make them stronger and denser.

Let me explain…

Your bones are composed of mineral crystals and cells that are bound together by matrix proteins. The most important of these is osteocalcin, which regulates calcium. Vitamin K2 signals the osteocalcin proteins to go through a process called carboxylation. Once carboxylated, they can create new bone tissue.

But if you’re not getting enough K2, your body won’t be able to undergo this process. And as a result, it can’t attach itself to the bone and create new bone tissue. Eventually, your bone becomes porous and weak… making it easier for your bones to break.

Fortunately, there are several K2-rich sources of food to help prevent osteoporosis like:

• Egg yolks – Forget what you might have heard in the past. You have nothing to fear from egg yolks. They not only provide a good dose of K2, but also plenty of vitamins and nutrients. Look for cage-free, vegetarian-fed chicken eggs, which are the most nutritious.

• Organ meats – Liver is a particularly good source of K2. Just be sure to choose organ meats from grass-fed, free-range cattle to avoid extra hormones pumped into grain-fed cattle.

• Organic or raw whole milk – Organic milk is widely available in the “green” section of supermarkets. Raw milk is best, but it’s not available in all states. So check your local laws to see if you can get your hands on some.

• Traditionally fermented cheese – Two in particular – Swiss Emmental and Norwegian Jarlsberg – have high amounts of K2.

• Dark leafy greens – A study in the American Journal of Nutrition showed that fruits and vegetables increase your bone density.2 Green vegetables like spinach, kale, collard greens, brussels sprouts or broccoli are particularly high in K2. Eat at least one serving of one of these locally-grown produce options every day.

Besides increasing your intake of vitamin K2, there are other steps you can take to strengthen your bones:

• Take a vitamin D supplement: Vitamin D helps your body absorb calcium and maintain bone density. Your best source of vitamin D is 10 to 15 minutes of exposure to sunlight each day. But during the winter, take cod liver oil – the best supplemental source of vitamin D. I recommend at least 400 IU per day.

• Eat foods rich in B-complex vitamins: Your body uses a variety of B vitamins to build bones. The best sources of B vitamins include liver, eggs, lean meats, fish, raw nuts, asparagus, broccoli and bananas.

• Exercise: Lack of physical activity leads to weaker bones. When you exercise, your muscles pull on your bones. This challenges your body to respond by increasing bone density.

The best workout to increase bone density includes body weight exercises like my PACE program. Follow a PACE routine two or three times per week to help strengthen your bones and reduce your risk of fractures as you age.

A colleague of mine, Save Our Bones founder Vivian Goldschmidt, has written a new book on natural bone-building solutions. To get it you can Google her and you can get it usually free on her site as a down loadable book.

To Your Good Health,
Al Sears, MD