Are wrinkles an inevitable fact of aging or could laugh lines and crow’s feet potentially indicate a vitamin deficiency or even a more serious underlying health issue?
In 2011, researchers presented findings at a meeting of the Endocrine Society in Boston that revealed that women in their 40’s and 50’s who have extensive skin wrinkling are much more likely than their peers to have low bone mass.
Researchers noted the relationship between wrinkles and bone density in every single bone tested which included hip, heel, and lumbar (spine). Â In addition, this relationship existed regardless of body fat percentage and age.
Epidemiological evidence of Asian women offers further health clues to the wrinkle mystery.
It is known that Japanese women have fewer wrinkles and less skin sagging that women of the same age living in North America. Â These two groups of women vary greatly in diet and lifestyle, however.
Even when Japanese women living in Tokyo were compared with women from the Asian cities of Shanghai and Bangok, however, they showed the least visible signs of aging.
Diet and lifestyle factors for these three Asian groups of women are comparable except for one notable exception: the consumption of natto in Japan.
Tokyo residents frequently enjoy natto, a strong-smelling food traditionally made from fermented soybeans for breakfast. Natto is loaded with menaquinone, Vitamin K2, and blood samples of the Tokyo women revealed high circulating levels of this fat soluble vitamin.
Further research which bolsters the notion that getting plenty of anti-wrinkle vitamin K2 in the diet makes for smoother facial features is found in the research of Korean scientists and was published in the journal Nephrology in 2008.
The rate at which the kidneys are able to filter the blood is an important measure of overall kidney function. Â Researchers found that reduced renal filtration rate was associated with increased facial wrinkling.
What does decreased kidney filtration rate predict?
You guessed it – Vitamin K2 deficiency, according to American research published the year after the Korean study.
Testing has been limited so far on the true extent of Vitamin K2 deficiency in the western world, but so far, of those tested, 90% tested deficient in this critical nutrient.
Avoid the Vitamin Deficiency That Causes Wrinkles With These Foods
If you want to avoid a vitamin deficiency of K2, know that it is an elusive nutrient and extremely difficult to obtain with a modern diet.
The highest sources of K2 are:
- Natto (fermented soybeans)
- Goose liver
- Certain cheeses (Gouda has the most K2)
- Animal fats like egg yolk, butter, and lard which must come from grassfed animals.
Natto contains 1,103 mcg of K2 per 3.5 ounce/100 gram portion which is far higher than any other food.
The second highest food in Vitamin K2 is goose liver pate which has 369 mcg per 3 1/2 ounce portion. While delicious and wonderful to eat, goose liver pate is very hard to find in most places. Â It is also a very high end, gourmet food which makes the price out of reach for most.
Rounding out the top 3 foods highest in Vitamin K2 is none other than the humble Gouda cheese, which boasts 75 mcg per 3 1/2 ounce serving! Brie contains a significant K2 as well.
This compares to pastured egg yolks and butter, which each have about 15 mcg of K2 per 3 1/2 ounce portion.
How much of these K2 containing foods should you eat to avoid a vitamin deficiency of this critical nutrient? That part gets murky as the official recommended daily intake (RDI) of Vitamin K doesn’t distinguish between K1 and K2 despite their very different uses in the body.
The RDI for Vitamin K is only determined by the liver’s requirement for normal blood clotting factors, not the K2 needed for optimal bone and kidney health and wrinkle-free skin. So, getting enough K1 in the diet via leafy greens could still mean a serious deficiency of Vitamin K2.
There is also no solid evidence that the human body is able to convert Vitamin K1 to Vitamin K2, which is what occurs in grazing animals.
The good news is that there is no known toxicity of Vitamin K2, unlike other fat-soluble vitamins.
So, eating generously of Vitamin K2 rich foods as practiced by Traditional Societies and even potentially taking a supplement to avoid a vitamin deficiency is considered wise by Dr. Kate Rheaume-Bleue, ND, author of Vitamin K2 and the Calcium Paradox.
Which to Take? Plant vs Animal K2
Vitamin K2 is available in both animal fats and fermented foods. The animal form is MK-4 and the fermented form is MK-7.
Recent research has shown that an Aboriginal sacred food is extremely high in MK-4, nearly as high as goose liver pate!
This vetted source of pastured emu oil from the genetically pure strain of birds eating their native diet that produces this nutrient-dense fat. Note that not all emu oil contains K2…only the fat from pastured birds!
For those who prefer the fermented form of K2 (MK-7), this quality brand offers therapeutic doses of the wrinkle-reducing vitamin from nonGMO natto extract.
More Information on Avoiding K2 Vitamin Deficiency
The Best Vitamin K 2 Supplement
Benefits of Vitamin K2
Macrobiotic Diet and Extreme Vitamin Deficiency
Emu Oil Benefits
As far as the MK-4 and MK-7 debate, I think it’s always better to stay away from the synthetic. I would probably go with the MK-7.
Different organs appear to have different preferences for the various forms of vitamin K2. The kidneys and brain appear to prefer Mk-4 (or at least store it), based on this paper: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8785182 While higher menaquinones like Mk-7 do perform some of the functions of Mk-7, they might not perform all of them. It appears that Mk-4 is the only K vitamin to cross the placenta, and Mk-4 can activate certain genes that Mk-7 cannot. A healthy diet probably contains some of each. I wouldn’t be concerned about synthetic, as long as it’s chemically the same as found in food. Thorne Research makes Mk-4 products in drop form, of which 99.9% of the K2 is bio-identifcal to that found in food sources.
I have tried to pick up Natto at Asian grocery stores and also Whole Foods. WF does not carry it, and the Asian stores carry products that have a LOT of undesirable stuff in it like MSG and HFCS. Do you know of any other source, perhaps that’s organic?
the “undesirables” are in a little seasoning packet inside the natto packet. It’s not in the natto itself. So you are fine to buy it- just toss the seasoning/mustard packet 😀
Sure, but what about the soybeans? They’re not labeled organic or non-GMO. They do all say “product of Japan.” anybody know if Japan has GMO soybeans or not?
It is possible to find organic, non-GMO natto in some stores. Just be sure to ditch the flavor packet and make your own sauce out of mustard and Red Boat fish sauce or tamari or something along those lines.
What about graying hair? I have way too many gray hairs for my age (my parents have both just started graying themselves and I already have a lot). Is that a deficiency of some kind? I haven’t been able to find any research or even speculation on this.
Leah,
Have you had your thyroid checked recently? My DD and DH both had early graying (DD at 8!!) and it is related to their hypothyroidism. Our doctor told me she looks for premature graying (before age 40) as a signal that the thyroid should be checked, especially in men since they’re less likely to seek help for their symptoms (or even know about them.)
I don’t know for certain, but I’d heard that graying hair is a sign of low B12, another common deficiency.
Hmmmm…..In the last year I’ve grayed considerably and I’m only 32! Granted, I have been under a LOT of major stress, but I’m wondering if a lack of B12 is to blame, too?
Katie–me too. I’m 34. It’s a little bit upsetting to see it happening so early, right? But I’ve got stress as well. No wrinkles–but plenty of gray hairs. Fortunately they’re mostly covered by the good stuff, but it still bothers me. I’ve been playing with my diet and supplements a lot to see what could reverse it. I have seen a few hairs that went back to brown *from* gray, so I know it’s possible. Pretty sure I have to figure out a better way to un-stress.
I’ve come across internet comments from people who reversed their grey hair (at least partially) by taking blackstrap molasses – which they also say is good for alleviating menstrual issues because of its mineral-rich content. It should be unsulfured, organic blackstrap molasses. Not sure I could swallow a spoonful of the thick stuff – tried it just once in green tea but it didn’t quite work and I couldn’t finish it – but am the same age as you and already have oodles of white hair which is so-far still semi-concealed. Too soon, no?!
Minerals (taken internally) color the hair.
Sharon, can you elaborate on the minerals and hair color?
Copper is the key mineral required for melanin production, as well as for collagen formation and tight skin. Interesting to see that an article on skin wrinkles has also created the question on greying hair, since the 2 usually go hand in hand. Copper is best taken transdermally by use of a simple copper bracelet, which will react with skin moisture causing a blue copper sulfate stain on your skin. Perfectly normal, and perfectly healthy.
That sounds more like iron overload. The easy cure for that is giving blood. Get an iron panel done (fasting blood work) . The normal range for the serum ferritin is 40 to 150 and for the serum transferrin saturation percentage it is 20 to 35%….but up to 45% is still normal although high normal. I am 84 years old and have givine blood over the years to keep my iron levels low. Check your hemoglobin also (normal is 13 to 14 for woman and 14 to 15 for men) according to the Iron Disorders Institute. I hope this helps.
Is the fermented skate liver oil a good source of K2?
I started eating Natto just last month for the K2.
Where do you get the Natto from in the united states? I would love to know so I can get started on it. I am in my 50’s and have managed to keep the wrinkles down to a minimum. I use to be very active but was diagnosed with multiple plexiform neurofibromas in my groin and abdomen. So I am disabled and have a hard time moving around, even in my home. So thanks for whatever information you can give me.
Hi,
I buy my Natto in the frozen food section of our local Asian market. I’m in the Denver Metro Area.
If you Google the terms “Natto Making FAQ”, you will find a recipe.
Good luck.
Hey has there also been research on the skin aging of us Dutchies? We do eat lots of grass fed cheese!
Can the aging be reversed?
You can’t reverse time but you can slow the aging process.. to a point where it looked like you reversed time.
Gouda for lunch!
One more reason to break out the butter.
Great article! Woul love to know if anyone knows if supplementing with K2 can affect negatively if one has had blood clots before. No one has been able to answer this yet. I had a superficially blood clot with my last pregnancy so I’ve been hesitant to take K supp.
Great writeup on K-2. Thanks!