Many conventional health experts warn about eating too much
cheese, butter, and egg yolks because of all the fat and cholesterol. These people usually say things like Itll
clog your arteries! and Your heart attack risk factors are too high!
Well, did
you know that these fatty, cholesterol-laden foods can actually reduce your
risk for heart disease (and quite a few others)?
This is
because foods like butter, egg yolks, hard cheeses, and soft cheeses are fairly
high in vitamin K2, the highest being a soy based dish called natto which is
popular in Japan.
In a study
from the Netherlands,
researchers collected data pertaining to the vitamin K intakes of subjects
between the years 1990 and 1993.
Researchers measured the extent of heart disease in each subject, which
subjects died from it, and how this all was correlated to vitamin K intake and
arterial calcification (which they found to be the best predictor of heart
disease.)
The results
showed that subjects with the highest intakes of vitamin K2 were 52% less
likely to develop severe arterial calcification, 41 percent less likely to
develop heart disease, and 57 percent less likely to die from heart
disease. (Galeijnse et al., 2004, p.
3100-3105)
It is important
to note that vitamin K1 intake had no effect on heart disease.
So, lets
briefly discuss some of the top foods highest in vitamin K2. Natto, the fermented soy dish from Japan
is the highest amongst all the foods tested.
I usually dont recommend soy foods because most of them are genetically
modified and, even if they arent, there are many contraindications and
research to suggest that soy may actually be detrimental to ones health.
Butter is
not really a good source unless it is raw butter from organically raised
, grass
fed cows. Most of the butter available
in supermarkets is from grain fed cows confined to small feedlots which usually
never even see a green pasture. The same goes for cheeses. Buy organically when possible.