Health Support Criteria

As living tissue, healthy bones require at least 24 bone-building materials, including several vitamins, minerals, trace elements, and protein. The most important minerals are calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, and potassium; equally important is the balance between these minerals. Also critical is vitamin D, responsible for the absorption of calcium into the blood, and vitamin K2, responsible for the deposition of blood calcium into the bones and teeth. Recently, it has been established that menaquinone (vitamin K2)—not phylloquinone (vitamin K1)—is the principal form of vitamin K responsible for calcium deposition into bone tissue. Consequently, vitamin K2, a form of vitamin K lacking in the diet and seldom found in nutritional supplements, has been added to this criterion. The value of menaquinone and the evidence for its recent inclusion in the Blended Standard are discussed in detail in Chapter 7 of the guide.

This criterion examines the nutrients in a product that assist in bone remodelling, a process vital in warding off osteoporosis and other diseases that weaken the skeletal framework. This criterion has been revised by adding vitamin K2 as a major component to the analysis.