MCHA contains high concentrations of both calcium and phosphorus in their natural ratio – as calcium phosphate.  In bone production and maintenance, calcium and phosphorus are arguably the most important minerals. Human bones contain the highest concentrations of calcium in any other system in the body – about 98% – making it essential for strong and healthy bones(2).  Calcium creates strength and hardness in bones and teeth once it has combined with phosphorus to create human hydroxyapatite crystals.  Calcium is found in many foods, however culturally, some diets are low in dairy and soft-boned fish, so actual blood levels may fall short of the recommended calcium intake of 1000 – 1300mg/day for adults.

Phosphorus combines with calcium to create human hydroxyapatite.  It is important that we maintain the right amounts of calcium and phosphorus to ensure that excessive amounts of either do not lead to bone loss from resorption.  Phosphorus is also available through food but amounts vary according to country and local diet.  Severe calcium deficiency can be life threatening, but the endocrine system is very good at balancing levels of calcium, delivering the right amount to bone when needed, and removing excess via the kidneys.

The best way to nourish the body is to use ingredients that are easily absorbed. The most readily absorbed ingredients are those that are chemically similar to what we already produce. Crystalline hydroxyapatite makes up around 25% of human bone volume (3). Because MCHA is derived from bone, the body doesn’t have to work very hard to change it into the required nutrients. The scientific term for this is “bioavailability”.

Special, scientifically validated features of MCHA:
• Prevents bone loss and prevents reduction in bone density (4-8)
• Reverses bone resorption and increases bone density/thickness(4, 6-8)
• Increases bone building processes (osteoblast activity) (1)

MCHA has been shown to improve bone density and reduce bone loss more effectively than other calcium supplement ingredients. (1, 4, 6-10). MCHA is specially processed to biological temperature to maintain complete molecular integrity.

During the 1990’s, health concerns arose surrounding bone meal as a mode of contracting Mad Cow Disease (Bovine spongiform encephalopathy or BSE). In Australia and New Zealand there have been no cases of BSE reported and the disease has a zero incidence rate. The Australian Government has very strict quarantine laws to prevent this type of disease from entering the borders (11). Premium quality MCHA sources from Australian and New Zealand cattle – produce one of the safest forms of calcium supplement on the market.

If you spend a lot of time indoors, if you live in an area where skin cancer from sun exposure could be an issue, or if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, getting the right amount of vitamin D can be difficult.  Vitamin D3 is formed naturally in the skin, via exposure to ultra violet light from the sun.  Small amounts of Pre-D3 can also be absorbed in the digestive system from foods like eggs and fish.    The quickest way other than sunlight to get vitamin D is to take it in supplement form, in the same state that your body creates when you are exposed to sunlight – vitamin D3.

Vitamin D is important to our health in many ways, mostly as a regulator for other biochemicals.  In terms of bone health, its interaction with other bone-making nutrients is perhaps the most important.  It guards the gateway in the nutrient-absorbing cells between the intestinal lining and the bloodstream, directing the right amount of calcium to be absorbed.  During digestion, vitamin D3 is absorbed to become part of bone tissue, and regulates the amount of calcium our bodies keep or discard.  It helps other biochemicals to regulate the amounts of phosphorus entering the bone matrix, and it has been suggested that vitamin D may help regulate levels of parathyroid hormone coming from the Kidneys (4).    Vitamin D also has many other biological functions unrelated to bone health.

If we aren’t getting enough vitamin D from the sun or from food, it is not uncommon to develop a deficiency.  The most accurate way to find out if you have vitamin D deficiency is to consult your health practitioner for a blood test.

Vitamin K1 (phylloquinone) is found in green leafy vegetables, which are one of the richest supplies for humans(1). K1 can easily be converted in our bodies to K2.

Vitamin K2 (menaquinone) is found in animals, and produced by our bodies as a by-product of healthy intestinal flora. We source our K2 from natto, a Japanese fermented soy bean product. Natto has been shown to be one of the greatest vegetable derived sources for vitamin K2 (2). For more information about MenaQ-7, our purified source of K2, click here.

Of our liver’s total natural concentrations of available vitamin K, Vitamin K1 and K2 are around 10% and 90%, respectively (1). Because we metabolise plant and animal products differently, K1 and K2 travel to different tissues and organs in the body, based on the way we absorb them (3). In Fig. 1, you can see the pathway that each type of vitamin K takes once it enters our bodies and makes its way to our tissues.

Vitamin K2 has a slightly different structure to K1, making it more fat-soluble, so your body can absorb it. Hence the liver stores much more of it than K1. This is because of the types of foods it is found in, and the different ways it moves into the structures, tissues and organs that need it most  – the blood vessels and brain (4). Vitamin K2 can stay in the human bloodstream for up to 3 days, much longer than K1. In particular, MK-7, the source of K2 found in natto, has a considerably longer half-life than other sources of K2 (5). It also has protective effects on the heart and prevents calcium build-up in blood vessels, and slows down bone resorption. K2 is a great source of vitamin K for growing children, adults and elderly people alike.

Vitamin K1, on the other hand, is particularly important during breastfeeding because it has been shown to be absorbed by infants feeding from mothers who are using vitamin K1 supplements(6). K2 has not been shown to have the same properties.  Vitamin K1 is also stored at much higher levels in the baby’s liver than adults, but is essential for normal blood clotting in both. PM NextG Cal contains vitamin K1, for pregnancy and breastfeeding. PM NextG Cal Kids contains vitamin K2 for growing children and healthy mothers.

Newborn & Breastfeeding

The primary symptom of excessive bleeding can occur in infants with vitamin K deficiency (infantile haemorrhage).  Many countries recommend a vitamin K injection as a routine health initiative shortly following birth (7).  Mothers can increase their infant’s vitamin K supply through breast milk to prevent deficiency if they are taking supplements that contain vitamin K1, like NextGCal.

Childhood

During childhood, the body produces 10 times more bone building proteins (osteocalcin) than in adulthood. To be available for the body to use in bones, osteocalcin needs a good supply of vitamin K to modify it to fit together with calcium, otherwise it is wasted. Many children may be low in vitamin K, which can prevent proper bone formation (8). Supplementing with vitamin K may improve bone mineral content (9, 10). As a preventive supplement in NextGCal Kids, vitamin K2 may help with calcium absorption to strengthen your child’s bone structure and integrity.

Adults and Later in Life

Several studies have linked vitamin K deficiencies and high levels of unmodified bone building cells (osteocalcin) with low bone density and an increased risk of fractures (11, 12). As a dietary supplement, vitamin K1 has been shown to prevent bone loss in older people (13) and increase bone mineral density in both men and women (11).