Sometimes blind faith leads to a disaster. Sometimes a miracle. Where will you end up? If you're one of the millions of people diagnosed with high cholesterol, you will more than likely be given a prescription "statin" pill. These work well to reduce cholesterol: Lovastatin for Mevacor, atorvastatin for Lipitor, pravastatin for Pravachol, fluvastatin for Lescol, simvastatin for Zocor, pitavastatin for Livalo, and rosuvastatin for Crestor.

Statins affect many pathways in the body. They are strong anti-inflammatories and are being tested for their use in cancer patients. As for cholesterol reduction, they work by crushing a natural enzyme in your body that would otherwise produce cholesterol. I want you to make a mental note, statins do not suck out gooey cholesterol from your arteries, nor does it negate cheese fries. No, these drugs merely suppress new production of cholesterol. Here's where blind faith (take this pill and you'll feel better) collides with scientific research.

This month a study was published (in the Expert Review of Clinical Pharmacology), entitled, Statins stimulate atherosclerosis and heart failure: pharmacological mechanisms. Repeat: "Statins stimulate atherosclerosis and heart failure." Whoa! The researchers concluded, "The epidemic of heart failure and atherosclerosis that plagues the modern world may paradoxically be aggravated by the pervasive use of statin drugs." What an irony! The problem is that many other studies have found similar disastrous effects on the heart. It has to do with mitochondrial dysfunction, which means that the little generators in your heart cells get sick.

Your heart is a very high energy muscle. It requires thriving, mitochondria in order to churn out ATP, your energy molecule. Statins are toxic to mitochondria because they deplete coenzyme Q10 which is needed for healthy mitochondria. Statins also deplete a special protein called "Heme A" that totes oxygen and iron to your heart. The long-term depletion interrupts ATP production and leads to cellular fatigue among other major problems. You cannot survive long-term without adequate ATP production so it needs to be restored. Fatigue, cramps, muscle weakness, memory loss, depression, cancer… you must have ATP in your body or else! (Biting my lip)

Statins inhibit the biosynthesis of vitamin K2 which we manufacture if we have healthy intestinal gut flora. Do you? I don't know anyone who has a perfect gut. K2 also comes from fermented veggies. It protects our arteries from calcium plaques or atherosclerosis. Without enough K2, statin-induced or not, we are compromised. (Eyes rolling now).

Today, we know statins block very special, powerful selenium-containing proteins known as selenoproteins, the most famous of those is called glutathione peroxidase, which protects muscle tissue from free radical damage (oxidation).

What's the busiest muscle in your body? It has to work 24/7. It's your heart! (Smacks forehead).

Your heart muscle cells are 'burned' form all the oxidation (due to the impairment of selenoprotein biosynthesis) and this is a factor in congestive heart failure. This reminds me of Keshan's disease which is heart failure due to low selenium.

If you have to take statins, please use the lowest dose possible. Be diligent about putting back the nutrients that statins interfere with such as the coenzyme Q10, selenium, and vitamin K2, along with other heart healthy nutrients. There are exceptions to taking these nutrients so ask your doctor (yes, the same one that gave you the statin) This is a classic case of drug mugging, and I hope you will consider replenishing some of the affected nutrients, especially if you have uncomfortable or new symptoms. Talk to your physician about dosages of these vitamins, because this is a highly individual.

“If calcium is so bad for my heart, why should I be taking a calcium supplement for my bones?”

This is a question I hear frequently in my office and one that causes me great concern.

Bone health is important throughout your life. Osteoporosis and bone fractures, similar to cardiovascular disease, are not just the problems of old age. Like the heart and the blood vessels, the health of our bones is something we usually do not think about much. Then, a problem arises—such as a hip fracture—and just like the cardiovascular system, it is too late to make any real impact.

The one thing most people will do to support their bone health is take a calcium supplement, which is important due to the fact our bodies cannot produce calcium on their own, and calcium plays a role in many of the body’s systems. But too much calcium in the body left unattended can have a negative effect, such as depositing in the arteries and blood vessels causing calcification. This calcification causes stiffening that puts a strain on the cardiovascular system.

When my friend, an integrative general practitioner, asked if I was recommending vitamin K2 to my patients, I was surprised. What is vitamin K2? I decided to find out. I was shocked—and excited—at how much good research supported this nutrient for bone and heart health.

The discovery of this amazing body of research was the motivation behind my new book, “Vitamin K2: The Missing Nutrient for Heart and Bone Health.” It is important that patients as well as health care professionals understand the benefit of this important nutrient and the scientific evidence supporting it.

What is Vitamin K2?
Vitamin K2 is part of the vitamin K family, a group of fatsoluble vitamins. Vitamin K is split into two groups: vitamin K1 and vitamin K2. The difference lies on a molecular level. Vitamin K1 has one molecule, so it is a phylloquinone. The K2 group has multiple molecules and known as menaquinones.

While K vitamins are crucial for blood clotting, vitamin K2, unlike K1, is utilized by the liver and then is available to tissues beyond the liver, such as the bones, arteries and blood vessels. So why is vitamin K2 so valuable?

Simply put, vitamin K2 is the body’s light switch. It activates or “turns on” important proteins in the body such as osteocalcin for strong bones and the matrix Gla protein (MGP) in the arteries and blood vessels. By turning on these vitamin K2 dependent proteins, calcium is kept out of the arteries (where it can cause hardening of arteries and blockages) and transported and kept in the bones where it belongs.

Although vitamin K2 is a relative newcomer to the supplement arena, I believe there is now enough scientific evidence to make you take notice and add it to your list of essential nutrients. While I will focus on vitamin K2’s proven cardiovascular benefits, a multitude of studies have also demonstrated vitamin K2’s effectiveness for bone health and children’s health. And more research is being done every day to support its benefits in these crucial areas to the general population.

Undeniable Evidence
Let’s start with the evidence of vitamin K2’s role in calcification. The landmark Rotterdam population cohort study examined vitamin K2 in a normal human population, and was the first large clinical study to suggest the huge impact vitamin K2 may play in reducing cardiovascular events and mortality. Results among 4,807 healthy individuals (at the start of the study) age 55 and older, suggested a strong protective effect of the highest dietary vitamin K2 intake on arterial calcification. The study showed a reduction in risk for cardiovascular diseases and cardiovascular disease-related deaths by as much as 50 percent for subjects who ingested more vitamin K2. High intakes of vitamin K2 also reduced the all-cause mortality by 25 percent.

Dietary vitamin K1, obtained from green vegetables, had no influence on excessive calcium accumulation, even when consumed in much larger quantities than K2.

Another study in Nutrition, Metabolism, & Cardiovascular Diseases looked at the effect of vitamin K2 on arterial function, or the ability to contract and relax blood vessels. A group of 16,057 women (all free of cardiovascular diseases at baseline) aged 49–70 years were followed for eight years. The final results were again really promising: K2 vitamins were shown to reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases. The risk of coronary heart disease dropped nine percent for every 10 micrograms of vitamin K2 (MK-7, MK- 8, and MK-9) subjects consumed. Vitamin K1 intake had no effect.

If you are still not convinced that vitamin K2 delivers important cardiovascular benefits, there is one exciting clinical study that has really captured my attention recently and was published this year in the journal Thrombosis and Haemostasis. It shows a nutritional dose (180 mcg) of specific vitamin K2 called MenaQ7 taken daily for three years not only inhibited age-related stiffening of the artery walls, but also made significant improvements in artery flexibility—meaning calcification was actually regressed, leaving arteries healthier and more flexible.

This study is a breakthrough because it is the first intervention trial where the results confirm the association made by previous population-based studies: that vitamin K2 intake is linked to cardiovascular risk. According to the researchers, the data demonstrated that a nutritional dose of vitamin K2 can in fact promote cardiovascular health.

Completing the Health Picture
The four keys to good health for everyone are nutrition (including supplements), exercise, stress management and sleep. Pills alone are not the solution, but I feel very strongly that supplements fill the nutritional gaps our diets are lacking. Vitamin K2 should be taken along with vitamin D and calcium, and it’s best to look for one supplement that contains all three ingredients combined, especially the clinically studied MenaQ7 form of vitamin K2 that can be found listed as such on the nutritional label.

Finally, I want to emphasize that you must be proactive with your health, and I encourage you to make your doctor an active partner in your pursuit of well-being. Discuss your health goals and concerns with your physician for a personal roadmap on how to get there.