Recent research has shown a direct link between atherosclerosis and osteoporosis.  Much of it centers on Vitamin D and Vitamin K2 deficiencies and how they affect your endothelial cells.

Now before we examine this link between atherosclerosis and osteoporosis let’s first understand what these words mean.

• Atherosclerosis involves the calcification of your vascular tissue. 

• Osteoporosis involves the decalcification of bone tissue. 

Here is a medical fact that few physicians know, and even fewer in the general population have ever heard about.  As you age your endothelial cells, which line all of your cardiovascular system, can turn into bone cells.  They are known as osteoblasts, which normally regulate bone formation.

This discovery was originally made in 1993.  Since this discovery research has shown a link between atherosclerosis and osteoporosis.  Those with atherosclerosis typically also have weaker, more brittle bone with an increased risk for fracture.  Those with osteoporosis typically exhibit hardening of the arteries or atherosclerotic calcification leading to atherosclerosis. 

To date the precise biological mechanisms behind the transformation of endothelial cells into osteoblasts, or bone-forming cells, is not fully understood.  What is understood is the key role Vitamins D3 and K2 play in ensuring that calcium is properly used in bone formation while at the same time preventing the pathological calcification of your arteries.

These two nutrients operate synergistically to combat atherosclerosis and osteoporosis. Read More →