Supplement Alert! Carlson Labs Vitamin K2 MK-4 (Menatetrenone).

In 2003, I started supplementing with one a day of Ultra K2 Menatetrenone (MK-4) 15mg (plus 1.5g/day of Ca plus 400mg/day of Mg plus ~1,000iu/day of Vitamin D3) to reverse osteoporosis in my lumbar spine (bone density by DEXA went from -2SD to 0SD) in 3 years. I then used a maintenance dose of 15mg per week (~2,200ug per day). Everything was fine.

At some point, I switched to one a day of Vitacost Ultra Vitamin K with Advanced K2 Complex. Everything was fine.

Around 2012, I switched to one a day of Carlson Labs, Vitamin K2, 5 mg, in order to use-up my remaining iHerb rewards from the use of my discount code NIG935. I'd lost ~$300 of rewards through non-use. Everything was fine - for a while.

In ~2014, my right hip joint, which had previously caused me pain due to iliotibial band impingement on a bony/calcified outgrowth (cured when I began K2 supplementation), began to cause me pain again. As sleeping on my right side worsened the pain, I began to sleep on my left side. My GP felt my right hip joint and declared that there was some "wear & tear" in it and to use topical analgesics. This helped a bit.

In ~2015, my left shoulder joint, which had previously caused me pain due to impingement on a bony/calcified outgrowth (cured when I began K2 supplementation), began to cause me pain again. I assumed that it was "wear & tear", so I put up with it and applied topical analgesics. This helped a bit.

I recently looked-up rotator cuff pain and was perplexed to see that it was usually caused by impingement on a bony/calcified outgrowth. This of course is quite impossible, if taking 5mg/day of K2!

I took a look at the product reviews on iHerb.com, and noticed comments about joint pains from some reviewers, so I ordered a pot of Ultra K2 Menatetrenone (MK-4) 15mg.

Within a week of switching from Carlson Labs to Vitamin Research Products, my joint pains had virtually* all gone.

Therefore, there's something wrong with Carlson Labs, Vitamin K2, 5 mg. DO NOT USE!

*As the rotator cuff is damaged, there will always be some shoulder pain. As a herniated disk in my lumbar spine (before my osteoporosis was reversed) damaged nerves to/from my right leg, I walk lop-sidedly which means that there will always be some hip & knee joint pain.

Negative feedback loops, Tolerance, Dependence & Withdrawal.

I couldn't find the plot that I was looking for, but this electrical plot is equivalent.

From http://www.tpub.com/neets/book9/37k.htm

e_A represents the amount of a substance that perturbs one of the body's negative feedback loops. The amount oscillates between 0V & 100V.

e_R represents the effect of the substance on the body. 100V represents maximum effect and -100V represents maximum anti-effect.

The very first time that the substance is taken, there is 100V of effect, initially. As the time-constant of the negative feedback loop "kicks-in", the effect decays exponentially. Just before the substance is discontinued, the effect is down to 36.8V. Just after the substance is discontinued, the anti-effect is -63.2V. If the input continues to oscillate between 0V & 100V, the effect & anti-effect eventually become equal in magnitude. This is known as "cycling".

If the substance is applied continuously, the effect decays exponentially to 0V. When the substance is discontinued, the anti-effect is -100V initially, but decays exponentially to 0V.

This is analogous to drug tolerance, dependence & withdrawal, where eventually, the user has to take the drug just to feel normal, and discontinuing the drug gives the worst withdrawal symptoms ever, initially. After the drug has been discontinued for a while, the withdrawal symptoms decay exponentially to zero.

The above also applies to supplements that perturb one of the body's Hypothalamic Pituitary NFB loops e.g. the HPA (Adrenal), the HPG (Gonadal) or the HPT (Thyroid) Axes, or any other system (as everything in the body is regulated by a negative feedback loop).

This explains why a supplement can work really well at first, then its effect decays exponentially, until there is zero effect. The loop has compensated for it.

EDIT: If a loop is broken, due to zero secretion of one of the hormones controlling it, then a prescription drug/hormone restores the loop's output level to normal. E.g.

1) Prednisone for a broken HPAA (primary, secondary or tertiary hypoadrenalism) e.g. Addison's Disease.
2) Testosterone (men) or progesterone (women) for a broken HPGA (primary, secondary or tertiary hypogonadism).
3) Levothyroxine for a broken HPTA (primary, secondary or tertiary hypothyroidism) e.g. Hashimoto's thyroiditis.

I'm on 2) & 3), due to a broken pituitary gland. Luckily, it's not completely broken, so I don't need 1).

Rigid diets & taking loadsa supplements to compensate for them.

I do not believe you want to be doing that!

This post was inspired by a recently-published study by Alan Aragon & Brad Schoenfeld, as bodybuilders are a group of people who often eat a rigid diet (some eat skinless chicken breasts, broccoli & brown rice for several meals each day).

See Nutrient timing revisited: is there a post-exercise anabolic window?
"Collectively, these data indicate an increased potential for dietary flexibility while maintaining the pursuit of optimal timing."

This post is also aimed at people who eat severely restricted diets in the (often mistaken) belief that something's making them ill.

People with type 1 diabetes who struggle to keep their blood glucose within reasonable limits (3 to 8mmol/L, or 24 to 144mg/dL) benefit from restricting their intake of high-GL carbohydrates, so this post is not aimed at them. See The problem with Diabetes.

People with type 2 diabetes who severely restrict their intake of carbohydrates must be in caloric deficit, otherwise the physiological insulin resistance caused by high serum NEFAs will mess up just about everything in their body if they are in caloric balance or caloric excess. I've read (so it could be false) that a certain non-skinny blogger who I'm in conflict with (who has type 2 diabetes and who eats a VLC diet) has heart problems and is taking medication(s) for high blood pressure. Hmmm.

People who suffer from gastrointestinal problems after eating gluten-containing foods, or mucus after eating casein-containing foods may have impaired gut integrity. See Gluten - more than just a pain in the guts?

Supplements that I consider of positive value are:-

Fish oils: If the diet is low in oily fish (tinned tuna is not an oily fish), there may be insufficient EPA & DHA (especially in men, children & post-menopausal women). Women of reproductive age can get away with taking flaxseed oil.

Magnesium: If the diet is low in veg/high in dairy, there may be too much Calcium relative to Magnesium.

Vitamin D3: If the lifestyle results in sun-avoidance, insufficiency in Vitamin D is highly likely.

Vitamin K2: If the diet is low in animal fats and/or fermented foods, insufficiency in Vitamin K2 is highly likely.

Supplements that I consider of negative value are:-

Vitamin A: If there's an insufficiency in Vitamin D, supplementing with Vitamin A/β-carotene may exacerbate it. As Vitamin D + Calcium may reduce cancer risk, supplementing with Vitamin A absent Vitamin D3 may increase cancer risk.

Vitamin E: If there's an insufficiency in γ-tocopherol, supplementing with α-tocopherol may exacerbate it. As γ-tocopherol may reduce CHD mortality risk, supplementing with α-tocopherol absent γ-tocopherol may increase CHD mortality risk. Most Vitamin E supplements contain α-tocopherol only. Some Vitamin E supplements contain mixed tocopherols and these are O.K.

Is Coenzyme Q10 a supplement or a drug? It all depends.

This is the molecular structure of Coenzyme Q10.

Ubiquinone

I saw the following Tweet by Evelyn Kocur. Back in October 2009, a trial was started, to test the effect of CoQ10 supplementation on congestive heart failure (CHF). See Coenzyme Q10; an adjunctive therapy for congestive heart failure? See also Overview on coenzyme Q10 as adjunctive therapy in chronic heart failure. Rationale, design and end-points of "Q-symbio"--a multinational trial.

The results of that trial have just been made public, but are not yet available on PubMed. See First Drug to Significantly Improve Heart Failure Mortality in Over a Decade. Wait, what? Back in 2009, it was a supplement. Now, because it works, it's a drug.

Supplementation in meaningful amounts of a substance that the body needs but lacks makes the body work better. Who knew?