Bones + K2 with Aquamin Calcium – Healthy Bone Support | 60 Vegetarian Capsules
Bones + K2 is a daily bone-support formula in 60 vegetarian capsules, a 30-day supply. Each two-capsule serving gives you 500 mg of calcium and 40 mg of magnesium from Aquamin™ red algae minerals, plus 25 mcg of vitamin D3, 120 mcg of vitamin K2 as MK-7, 2 mg of manganese and 3 mg of boron, nutrients that work together to support healthy bones.†
Your skeleton is not a finished product. Bone is living tissue your body constantly breaks down and rebuilds, and that takes a steady supply of calcium, vitamin D and a few lesser-known helpers. Bones + K2 puts them in one bottle, with calcium from red seaweed. It's for people in their 30s and 40s building habits for the decades ahead, and for people past 50 who plan to stay strong and hard to keep up with. Aging isn't optional. Getting old is.
Why people take Bones + K2
- Calcium is the main mineral in bone, and each serving supplies 500 mg of it, plus 40 mg of magnesium, to support bone structure.†
- Vitamin D3 helps your gut absorb calcium and supports normal bone mineralization.†
- Vitamin K2 (MK-7) helps activate osteocalcin, a bone protein that binds calcium, to support healthy bone.†
- Manganese supports normal bone formation, and boron may support calcium and vitamin D metabolism.†
What's in each serving
| Ingredient | Amount per serving | % Daily Value |
|---|---|---|
| Vitamin D (Cholecalciferol) | 25 mcg | 125% |
| Vitamin K (K2, Menaquinone MK7) | 120 mcg | 100% |
| Calcium (Calcium Carbonate, from Aquamin™ Marine Minerals) | 500 mg | 38% |
| Magnesium (Magnesium Carbonate, from Aquamin™ Marine Minerals) | 40 mg | 9% |
| Manganese (Manganese Citrate) | 2 mg | 86% |
| Boron (Boron Citrate) | 3 mg | * Daily Value not established |
Serving size: 2 vegetarian capsules. Servings per container: 30. Other ingredients: Vegetable Cellulose (from capsule shell), Organic Rice Extract, Organic Rice Concentrate, and Cellulose. The label states: "NO corn, soy, salt, yeast, wheat, gluten, milk & egg products, sugar, starch, or preservatives." It also notes that Aquamin™ Sea Minerals are "a unique form of calcium from red algae (seaweed), Lithothamnion species."
How Bones + K2 works
Aquamin™: calcium and magnesium from red seaweed
Aquamin comes from Lithothamnion, a red seaweed that builds a hard, chalky structure out of minerals it pulls from seawater. The label lists calcium carbonate and magnesium carbonate because chemically, that's what they are. What's different is the source: a vegetarian calcium that brings magnesium along. Calcium carbonate absorbs best with a meal, and the NIH calcium fact sheet notes that absorption from supplements is highest at 500 mg or less at a time. One serving is exactly 500 mg.
In a two-year trial in 300 postmenopausal women, 800 mg a day of calcium from a marine-derived multi-mineral made no difference to bone mineral density compared with placebo, but markers of bone turnover (how fast old bone is broken down and replaced) fell more by 12 months, which the researchers read as a more favorable bone profile. A modest result, from more calcium than one serving here.
About 50% to 60% of your body's magnesium sits in bone, per the NIH magnesium fact sheet. At 40 mg (9% DV), it plays a supporting role here. For more, Good Magnesium adds 200 mg per capsule.
Vitamin D3: helps you absorb the calcium
Vitamin D helps your gut absorb calcium and keeps blood calcium and phosphate where they need to be for normal bone mineralization.† This formula uses D3 (cholecalciferol), and the NIH vitamin D fact sheet says most evidence shows D3 raises blood vitamin D levels further, and keeps them up longer, than D2. The 25 mcg here equals 1,000 IU, a quarter of the adult upper limit.
Vitamin K2 as MK-7: puts calcium-binding protein to work
Here's the part most people skip. Bone makes a protein called osteocalcin that binds calcium, and it only works after vitamin K switches it on through a chemical step called carboxylation, as the NIH vitamin K fact sheet explains.†
Why MK-7? It's the longer-lasting form of K2. In a study comparing MK-4 and MK-7 in healthy women, a single MK-7 dose peaked in blood at about 6 hours and was still detectable at 48, while the same dose of MK-4 never showed up in blood. In a dose-finding trial in 42 healthy adults aged 18 to 45, MK-7 at doses around the recommended daily intake increased the share of osteocalcin in its active form.
What about bone density? The evidence is mixed. In a three-year trial in 244 healthy postmenopausal women, 180 mcg a day of MK-7 improved vitamin K status, and that group lost less bone mineral density with age at the lower spine and femoral neck (not the total hip) than the placebo group. A one-year trial in 334 healthy women in early menopause using 360 mcg a day activated more osteocalcin but found no difference in bone density loss. MK-7 did its biochemical job in both; whether that shows up on a bone scan may depend on study length and who's taking part. This formula has 120 mcg (100% DV), less than either trial used.
Manganese and boron: the supporting cast
Manganese helps enzymes involved in bone formation, and 25% to 40% of your body's manganese is stored in bone, per the NIH manganese fact sheet.† The 2 mg here is well under the 11 mg adult upper limit. Boron, candidly, isn't even classified as an essential nutrient, but the NIH boron fact sheet says it might play a role in calcium metabolism, bone formation and vitamin D use. The 3 mg here is well under the 20 mg adult upper limit.
How to take Bones + K2
The label says: "Two capsules daily, as a dietary supplement." Take them with a meal: calcium carbonate absorbs best with food, and vitamins D and K are fat-soluble, so a meal with some fat helps.
Ask your healthcare practitioner before use if you are pregnant, nursing, taking medication, or have a medical condition. That goes double if you take a blood thinner such as warfarin, because vitamin K affects how it works.
Don't take our word for it
- Verified by independent labs. ISO 17025-accredited labs check our test results.
- Every ingredient lot tested before use. Federal rules only require an identity test on incoming dietary ingredients. We test every incoming lot, the Aquamin included, for identity, potency, heavy metals and microbes.
- If it misses spec, it doesn't go in a bottle. More than 99% of our tests pass, and the lots that don't are turned away.
- A certificate of analysis for every lot. Every lot of Bones + K2 has one, documenting what our testing found.
Made in the USA. Made and tested in Mt. Angel, Oregon. That's a farm town of about 3,500 people in the Willamette Valley. Our formulators, makers and testers work under one roof in a UL-certified cGMP facility, and the owners work in the building too. We've been making supplements in Oregon since 1974. That's 52 years of making supplements, and we're not getting old either.
Frequently asked questions
How do I take Bones + K2?
Take two capsules a day, as the label directs, ideally with a meal that has some fat in it. One bottle is a 30-day supply.
Is 500 mg of calcium enough?
It isn't meant to be your whole day. 500 mg is 38% of the Daily Value, and adults need 1,000 to 1,200 mg a day from food and supplements combined, so your plate covers the rest.
How long before I notice a difference?
Probably never in a way you can feel, and that's normal. Bone renews slowly, and the bone density trials above ran one to three years and measured bone scans and blood markers, not how people felt. Think of it like brushing your teeth.
Can I take it with a Mt. Angel multivitamin?
Yes. The Women's 50+ Multivitamin and Men's 50+ Multivitamin each add 25 mcg of vitamin D3, 80 mcg of K2 and 2 mg of manganese. Combined with Bones + K2, that's 50 mcg (2,000 IU) of vitamin D and 4 mg of manganese a day, under the adult upper limits of 100 mcg and 11 mg. Vitamin K has no set upper limit.
Can I take it with Everyday Liquid Sunshine 2 or Bone Power Strontium?
Not casually. Everyday Liquid Sunshine 2 has 125 mcg (5,000 IU) of vitamin D3 per serving, so together you'd get 150 mcg (6,000 IU) a day, above the 100 mcg adult upper limit. Combine them only on your practitioner's advice. The Bone Power Strontium label says to take it 2 hours before or after calcium products, so keep them 2 hours apart.
How is Bones + K2 different from Nice Bones?
Nice Bones gives more calcium and magnesium (1,200 mg and 600 mg) plus 25 mcg of vitamin D2 in three tablets, with no vitamin K. Bones + K2 uses seaweed calcium and vitamin D3, and adds vitamin K2, manganese and boron.
Is Bones + K2 safe with medication?
Ask your healthcare practitioner first, especially if you take a blood thinner such as warfarin, since the NIH advises keeping vitamin K intake consistent on those drugs. Calcium carbonate can also reduce absorption of some medications, such as levothyroxine, so ask about spacing them apart.
Keep learning
References
- Slevin MM et al. Supplementation with calcium and short-chain fructo-oligosaccharides affects markers of bone turnover but not bone mineral density in postmenopausal women. J Nutr. 2014. PubMed
- Sato T et al. Comparison of menaquinone-4 and menaquinone-7 bioavailability in healthy women. Nutr J. 2012. PubMed
- Theuwissen E et al. Low-dose menaquinone-7 supplementation improved extra-hepatic vitamin K status, but had no effect on thrombin generation in healthy subjects. Br J Nutr. 2012. PubMed
- Knapen MH et al. Three-year low-dose menaquinone-7 supplementation helps decrease bone loss in healthy postmenopausal women. Osteoporos Int. 2013. PubMed
- Emaus N et al. Vitamin K2 supplementation does not influence bone loss in early menopausal women: a randomised double-blind placebo-controlled trial. Osteoporos Int. 2010. PubMed
†These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
