Vitamin D and K have a primary role in bone metabolism, together with calcium and the androgenic hormones. Ray has written about the importance of these vitamins not only for bone health but also for insulin sensitivity and accelerating deactivation of estrogen. Many of these beneficial effects are due to the effects of vitamin K and D on synthesis of the hormone osteocalcin - i.e. both vitamins increase osteocalcin synthesis, but vitamin K is especially effective at doing so. Osteocalcin apparently also promotes synthesis of testosterone, which may clarify why Ray said that bone metabolism and virility are tightly correlated. It would also explain why administration of vitamin K2 (MK-4) doubles testosterone levels in rats.
Osteoporosis, aging, tissue renewal, and product science
"..."...While lactic acidosis causes bone loss, acidosis caused by increased carbonic acid doesn't; low bicarbonate in the body fluids seems to remove carbonate from the bone (Bushinsky, et al., 1993), and also mineral phosphates (Bushinsky, et al., 2003). The parathyroid hormone, which removes calcium from bone, causes lactic acid to be formed by bone cells (Nijweide, et al., 1981; Lafeber, et al., 1986). Lactic acid produced by intense exercise causes calcium loss from bone (Ashizawa, et al., 1997), and sodium bicarbonate increases calcium retention by bone. Vitamin K2 (Yamaguchi, et al., 2003) blocks the removal of calcium from bone caused by parathyroid hormone and prostaglandin E2, by completely blocking their stimulation of lactic acid production by bone tissues. Aspirin, which, like vitamin K, supports cell respiration and inhibits lactic acid formation, also favors bone calcification. Vitamin K2 stimulates the formation of two important bone proteins, osteocalcin and osteonectin (Bunyaratavej, et al., 2009), and reduces the activity of estrogen by oxidizing estradiol (Otsuka, et al, 2005).
Osteocalcin - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"...Osteocalcin is secreted solely by osteoblasts and thought to play a role in the body's metabolic regulation and is pro-osteoblastic, or bone-building, by nature.[4] It is also implicated in bone mineralization and calcium ion homeostasis. Osteocalcin acts as a hormone in the body, causing beta cells in the pancreas to release more insulin, and at the same time directing fat cells to release the hormone adiponectin, which increases sensitivity to insulin.[4] Osteocalcin acts on Leydig cells of the testis to stimulate testosterone biosynthesis and therefore affect male fertility."
This study found that administration of osteocalcin to old mice completely reversed muscle aging and made their physical / exercise performance equal the one of young mice half their age. I guess the equivalent in humans would be to make an 80-year old be able to run and exercise like a 30-year old. Also, as you can see from the study, scientist fear that osteocalcin may become a doping agent for athletes given how powerfully it stimulates cellular metabolism of both glucose and fat. This anabolic possibility of osteocalcin becomes even more relevant in light of the above Wikipedia reference of osteocalcin increasing testosterone synthesis in the testicles - the one place where testosterone synthesis declines with age.
Osteocalcin Signaling in Myofibers Is Necessary and Sufficient for Optimum Adaptation to Exercise. - PubMed - NCBI
Hormone injection lets ageing muscles run harder and longer
"...Now Gerard Karsenty of Columbia University and his colleagues have shown that a hormone secreted by bone – called osteocalcin – boosts the ability of muscles to burn fuel and generate energy. When they injected the hormone into old mice, the animals were able to run as far as their younger counterparts, despite being up to a year older – a long time in mouse years. Old mice that did not receive the hormone ran about half as far. “It was extremely surprising,” says Karsenty."
"...The team found that in both mice and humans, physical exercise significantly increases the level of osteocalcin in the blood. The release of this hormone increases the availability of two primary fuels, glucose and fatty acids, to the muscles. Osteocalcin gives the muscles an extra kick by promoting fuel uptake as well as boosting the muscles’ ability to break down that fuel to use as energy, making it easier to run longer and harder, says Karsenty. They found that osteocalcin levels gradually decrease in men and women as they age, flatlining at ages 50 and 30, respectively. “If you look backwards during evolution, men were much more active than women – for example, in hunting and fishing. That may be an explanation for why the decrease in circulating osteocalcin occurs later in men than in women,” Karsenty suggests."
"...The results are exciting, but there are many “big ifs”, says Graham Kemp at the University of Liverpool. “Notably, if osteocalcin has the same effect in humans, and if there are any side effects.” There is also the risk that osteocalcin could be used as a doping agent in sport, Kemp says. “Anything, especially a natural endocrine factor, with these potential effects in humans, couldn’t fail to attract interest from would-be dopers.”
Now, all you have to do is add some vitamin A to the D and K and you have a doping agent flying under the radar of IOC :)
Vitamin A Stimulates Testosterone Production
Edit: February 28, 2017:
When I posted that study above a few months ago, I was just guessing about the possible ergogenic effects of vitamin K2 and D3 in combination since the study above was about osteocalcin, which vitamin K2 and D3 should raise. But since then I stumbled upon another, unrelated, study making the same claim specifically about vitamin K2 and D3. So, here it is below, for the people who are interested. The authors of this study below think a combination vitamin D3 in doses of at least 5,000 IU daily and vitamin K2 in doses of high microgam to low milligram doses should improve athletic performance, greatly speed muscle recovery, and have a very trophic effect on muscle growth. And all of that with virtually no toxicity.
Plausible ergogenic effects of vitamin D on athletic performance and recovery
"...In summary, an interesting theme has emerged from animal studies that supraphysiological dosages of vitamin D3 have potential ergogenic effects on the human metabolic system and lead to multiple physiological enhancements. These dosages could increase aerobic capacity, muscle growth, force and power production, and a decreased recovery time from exercise. These dosages could also improve bone density. However, both deficiency (12.5 to 50 nmol/L) and high levels of vitamin D (>125 nmol/L) can have negative side effects, with the potential for an increased mortality [121]. Thus, maintenance of optimal serum levels between 75 to 100 nmol/L [11, 86] and ensuring adequate amounts of other essential nutrients including vitamin K are consumed, is key to health and performance. Coaches, medical practitioners, and athletic personnel should recommend their patients and athletes to have their plasma 25(OH)D measured, in order to determine if supplementation is needed. Based on the research presented on recovery, force and power production, 4000-5000 IU/day of vitamin D3 in conjunction with a mixture of 50 mcg/day to 1000 mcg/day of vitamin K1 and K2 seems to be a safe dose and has the potential to aid athletic performance. Lastly, no study in the athletic population has increased serum 25(OH)D levels past 100 nmol/L, (the optimal range for skeletal muscle function) using doses of 1000 to 5000 IU/day. Thus, future studies should test the physiological effects of higher dosages (5000 IU to 10,000 IU/day or more) of vitamin D3 in combination with varying dosages of vitamin K1 and vitamin K2 in the athletic population to determine optimal dosages needed to maximize performance."
Osteoporosis, aging, tissue renewal, and product science
"..."...While lactic acidosis causes bone loss, acidosis caused by increased carbonic acid doesn't; low bicarbonate in the body fluids seems to remove carbonate from the bone (Bushinsky, et al., 1993), and also mineral phosphates (Bushinsky, et al., 2003). The parathyroid hormone, which removes calcium from bone, causes lactic acid to be formed by bone cells (Nijweide, et al., 1981; Lafeber, et al., 1986). Lactic acid produced by intense exercise causes calcium loss from bone (Ashizawa, et al., 1997), and sodium bicarbonate increases calcium retention by bone. Vitamin K2 (Yamaguchi, et al., 2003) blocks the removal of calcium from bone caused by parathyroid hormone and prostaglandin E2, by completely blocking their stimulation of lactic acid production by bone tissues. Aspirin, which, like vitamin K, supports cell respiration and inhibits lactic acid formation, also favors bone calcification. Vitamin K2 stimulates the formation of two important bone proteins, osteocalcin and osteonectin (Bunyaratavej, et al., 2009), and reduces the activity of estrogen by oxidizing estradiol (Otsuka, et al, 2005).
Osteocalcin - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"...Osteocalcin is secreted solely by osteoblasts and thought to play a role in the body's metabolic regulation and is pro-osteoblastic, or bone-building, by nature.[4] It is also implicated in bone mineralization and calcium ion homeostasis. Osteocalcin acts as a hormone in the body, causing beta cells in the pancreas to release more insulin, and at the same time directing fat cells to release the hormone adiponectin, which increases sensitivity to insulin.[4] Osteocalcin acts on Leydig cells of the testis to stimulate testosterone biosynthesis and therefore affect male fertility."
This study found that administration of osteocalcin to old mice completely reversed muscle aging and made their physical / exercise performance equal the one of young mice half their age. I guess the equivalent in humans would be to make an 80-year old be able to run and exercise like a 30-year old. Also, as you can see from the study, scientist fear that osteocalcin may become a doping agent for athletes given how powerfully it stimulates cellular metabolism of both glucose and fat. This anabolic possibility of osteocalcin becomes even more relevant in light of the above Wikipedia reference of osteocalcin increasing testosterone synthesis in the testicles - the one place where testosterone synthesis declines with age.
Osteocalcin Signaling in Myofibers Is Necessary and Sufficient for Optimum Adaptation to Exercise. - PubMed - NCBI
Hormone injection lets ageing muscles run harder and longer
"...Now Gerard Karsenty of Columbia University and his colleagues have shown that a hormone secreted by bone – called osteocalcin – boosts the ability of muscles to burn fuel and generate energy. When they injected the hormone into old mice, the animals were able to run as far as their younger counterparts, despite being up to a year older – a long time in mouse years. Old mice that did not receive the hormone ran about half as far. “It was extremely surprising,” says Karsenty."
"...The team found that in both mice and humans, physical exercise significantly increases the level of osteocalcin in the blood. The release of this hormone increases the availability of two primary fuels, glucose and fatty acids, to the muscles. Osteocalcin gives the muscles an extra kick by promoting fuel uptake as well as boosting the muscles’ ability to break down that fuel to use as energy, making it easier to run longer and harder, says Karsenty. They found that osteocalcin levels gradually decrease in men and women as they age, flatlining at ages 50 and 30, respectively. “If you look backwards during evolution, men were much more active than women – for example, in hunting and fishing. That may be an explanation for why the decrease in circulating osteocalcin occurs later in men than in women,” Karsenty suggests."
"...The results are exciting, but there are many “big ifs”, says Graham Kemp at the University of Liverpool. “Notably, if osteocalcin has the same effect in humans, and if there are any side effects.” There is also the risk that osteocalcin could be used as a doping agent in sport, Kemp says. “Anything, especially a natural endocrine factor, with these potential effects in humans, couldn’t fail to attract interest from would-be dopers.”
Now, all you have to do is add some vitamin A to the D and K and you have a doping agent flying under the radar of IOC :)
Vitamin A Stimulates Testosterone Production
Edit: February 28, 2017:
When I posted that study above a few months ago, I was just guessing about the possible ergogenic effects of vitamin K2 and D3 in combination since the study above was about osteocalcin, which vitamin K2 and D3 should raise. But since then I stumbled upon another, unrelated, study making the same claim specifically about vitamin K2 and D3. So, here it is below, for the people who are interested. The authors of this study below think a combination vitamin D3 in doses of at least 5,000 IU daily and vitamin K2 in doses of high microgam to low milligram doses should improve athletic performance, greatly speed muscle recovery, and have a very trophic effect on muscle growth. And all of that with virtually no toxicity.
Plausible ergogenic effects of vitamin D on athletic performance and recovery
"...In summary, an interesting theme has emerged from animal studies that supraphysiological dosages of vitamin D3 have potential ergogenic effects on the human metabolic system and lead to multiple physiological enhancements. These dosages could increase aerobic capacity, muscle growth, force and power production, and a decreased recovery time from exercise. These dosages could also improve bone density. However, both deficiency (12.5 to 50 nmol/L) and high levels of vitamin D (>125 nmol/L) can have negative side effects, with the potential for an increased mortality [121]. Thus, maintenance of optimal serum levels between 75 to 100 nmol/L [11, 86] and ensuring adequate amounts of other essential nutrients including vitamin K are consumed, is key to health and performance. Coaches, medical practitioners, and athletic personnel should recommend their patients and athletes to have their plasma 25(OH)D measured, in order to determine if supplementation is needed. Based on the research presented on recovery, force and power production, 4000-5000 IU/day of vitamin D3 in conjunction with a mixture of 50 mcg/day to 1000 mcg/day of vitamin K1 and K2 seems to be a safe dose and has the potential to aid athletic performance. Lastly, no study in the athletic population has increased serum 25(OH)D levels past 100 nmol/L, (the optimal range for skeletal muscle function) using doses of 1000 to 5000 IU/day. Thus, future studies should test the physiological effects of higher dosages (5000 IU to 10,000 IU/day or more) of vitamin D3 in combination with varying dosages of vitamin K1 and vitamin K2 in the athletic population to determine optimal dosages needed to maximize performance."
Last edited:
