Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

MK-7 (Menaquinone-7) is an enhanced bioactive form of Vitamin K2 made from the soy product natto by a special process of fermentation. Research has discovered that this form of Vitamin K is far better absorbed by the body than K1, which is found in vegetables such as spinach. I personally use this brand, because Jarrow is a highly reputable company. The suggested use for this product is one softgel per day or as directed by your qualified health care provider. I personally take one of these softgels per day. It can be taken with food or on an empty stomach. MK-7 helps promote bone health by helping the body naturally--with no side effects--to build bone, which is an essential factor in preventing osteoporosis. Let me pause here to say that this supplement stands in strong contrast to Big Pharma's "bone-protecting" drugs. They, in fact, do not build bone. The drugs doctors most often prescribe for a DEXA-based diagnosis of "osteopenia" are from a class called "antiresorptives." These drugs attempt to slow bone loss by decreasing the rate of absorption of bone by osteoclast cells. Examples include: bisphosphonates (Fosamax, Boniva, Actonel, Reclast), calcitonin (Fortical and Miacalcin), estrogen therapy or hormone therapy (Premarin, Prempro), and estrogen agonists/antagonists (Evista). There's a huge problem with these drugs, over and beyond their dangerous side effects. Stopping resorption works entirely against the body's bone-maintenance system. In a natural state (untampered with by drugs), there is a constant uptake by osteoclast cells of old bone tissue (resorption) which triggers a signal to the osteoblast cells to create new bone tissue. Both sides of the equation are essential for new bone to be created. In short, if there is no resorption of old bone by osteoclasts, then the osteoblasts will NOT make any new bone. This means that if I take bisphosphonates my body stops making any new bone. My conclusion is this: Yes, during the relatively short-term testing of two years or less Big Pharma has done on these drugs, it has concluded and proclaimed that bone is spared, rather than lost. Unfortunately, due to how the body works, this type of medication cannot prevent osteoporosis over the long term. In fact, tragically, it is actually creating a form of osteoporosis, which is defined as a body filled with old, fragile bone tissue that is susceptible to breakage. Recent research has also indicated that the bisphosphonates in particular can create osteonecrosis (bone death) of the jaw and spontaneous femur fractures. There are major class-action lawsuits going forward on this health tragedy right now. Research has indicated that the bone growth that MK-7 promotes can be additionally augmented by taking it in combination with Vitamin D3. Multiple studies have demonstrated synergistic benefits when vitamin MK-7 and D3 are combined. There is enhanced osteocalcin accumulation in bone cells which leads to increased bone mineral density. Both MK-7 and Vitamin D3 encourage calcium uptake where it needs to go, to bones and teeth, not to where it should not go, the walls of your arteries. Speaking of arteries, MK-7 promotes cardiovascular health by helping to maintain arterial elasticity due to the function just described, of encouraging calcium in the body to go where it belongs, not where it does not, forming plaque in blood vessels.