K Vitamins

The Importance of Vitamin K-2

Vitamin K-2 plays an essential role in blood clotting, heart health and bone health:

• Vitamin K2 helps reduce heart and kidney disease by preventing calcium (plaque) from being deposited in your blood vessels
• K2 improves bone density and strength by enabling calcium to be properly deposited in the bones and teeth
• K-2 is required for the proper clotting (coagulation) of blood.
• The most effective form of K-2 is known as menaquinone or MK-7
• K2 is not suitable for people on blood thinning medication such as Warfarin or aspirin, or for dialysis patients

Cardiovascular Health

In recent years, scientists and doctors have discovered how useful Vitamin K-2 is for cardiovascular health.

One of the main causes of heart disease is calcification, or the buildup of plaque (a mixture of calcium, fat and cholesterol) in the arteries leading to the heart.
This causes the arteries to harden, reducing of even blocking, the flow of blood to the heart and the kidneys.
Vitamin K2 activates matrix GLA protein, which prevents calcium (in the form of plaque) from accumulating in soft tissues, such as the kidneys and blood vessels

In one scientific study spanning 7–10 years, people with the highest intake of vitamin K2 were 52% less likely to develop arterial calcification and had a 57% lower risk of dying from heart disease

Another study in 16,057 women found that participants with the highest intake of vitamin K2 had a much lower risk of heart disease — for every 10 mcg of K2 they consumed per day, heart disease risk was reduced by 9%

Bone Health

Vitamin K2 plays a central role in the metabolism of calcium — the main mineral found in your bones and teeth. Vitamin K2 activates the calcium-binding actions of a protein called osteocalcin, the substance which forms the matrix of your bones.

Osteoporosis — which translates to “porous bones” — is a common problem in the elderly, especially women, and strongly raises the risk of fractures.
Long-term studies in Japan, which took fractures into consideration, found that vitamin K2 reduced spinal fractures by 60%, hip fractures by 77% and all non-spinal fractures by 81%

In line with these findings, vitamin K supplements are officially recommended for preventing and treating osteoporosis in Japan

As teeth are composed mostly of calcium, it is no surprise that research has found that K-2 also supports good dental health. Osteocalcin, which requires K-2 to form, triggers a mechanism that stimulates the growth of new dentin, which is the calcified tissue underneath the enamel of your teeth.

Which is the best type of K-2 to buy?

There are two main forms of vitamin K:

Vitamin K1 (phylloquinone): Found in plant foods like leafy greens.
Vitamin K2 (menaquinone): Found in animal foods and fermented foods like Natto & Sauerkraut

Vitamin K2 can be further divided into several different subtypes, the most important ones being MK-4 and MK-7.
MK-7 is regarded as the most beneficial form of K-2

Some scientists have suggested that the roles of vitamins K1 and K2 are quite different, and many feel that they should be classified as separate nutrients altogether.

Controlled studies in people also observe that vitamin K2 supplements generally improve bone and heart health, while vitamin K1 has no significant benefits.

Always Take Vitamin D-3 with K-2

The benefits of supplementing with K2 may be enhanced even further when combined with a vitamin D supplement, as these two vitamins have synergistic effects.
For optimal bone health, vitamin D is necessary to ensure that your blood levels of calcium are high enough to meet your body’s demands.
However, vitamin D does not fully control where the calcium in your body ends up. That’s where vitamin K steps in.

Last but not least, Vitamin K-2 plays a crucial role in the clotting of blood. When exposed to air, blood quickly coagulates, thickening until it prevents further loss of blood in a wound, for instance.

Warning:

If you are on medication such as aspirin or warfarin to reduce blood clotting, you should avoid Vitamin K2.

Warfarin is a blood-thinning drug that is prescribed for people with various heart conditions such as atrial fibrillation, artificial heart valves, clotting disorders (hypercoagulability), or placement of stents and catheters. Usually, blood tests must be done regularly to evaluate the extent of blood thinning, using a test for prothrombin time (PT) or international normalized ratio (INR). Vitamin K can decrease the blood-thinning effects of warfarin and will therefore lower the PT or INR value. This may increase the risk of clotting.

Likewise, K-2 should be avoided by dialysis patients