Benefits of Vitamin K2 in the body
Calcium transport
Calcium transport is the main mechanism by which K2 benefits the body (1).
Heart health
By transporting calcium in the blood to bones where it is needed this helps prevent calcium building up and causing potential harmful calciferous plaques in theblood vessels (1).
Bone health
Working with calcium and vitamin D, vitamin K2 helps to transport calcium to the bones where it is needed the most forstrong bones (1,2 ) especially as weage.
Why our form of K2 is superior
K2 MK7 (Menaquinone), is significantly moreabsorbable and the most usable form of vitamin K2 (3).MK7 as opposed to other forms such as MK4 have studies to support meaningful benefits to health even inhealthy individuals (4,5)
Foods rich in vitamin K2
Vitamin K1 is much more prevalent in the diet than vitamin K2. It’s mainly found in animal and fermented foods.
Some good sources are are, liver, eggs, meat and fish. Although it’s worth noting that most of these contain the less bioavailable form, MK4.
The more absorbable vitamin MK7 is found in fermented foods;
- Natto (a Japanese fermented soy bean)
- Sauerkraut
- Cheeses
- Buckwheat bread
Did you know? Vitamin K2 can also be produced in the digestive system by healthy gut flora.
Daily recommended intake of vitamin K2
As research into vitamin K2 is fairly new,UK/EU NRVs haven’t been set like they are for vitamin K1 (6).
Studies using supplementation at 180mcg per day over a 3 year period have found abeneficial effect (7)
Latest research of vitamin K2
Preventing height shrinkagepost menopause (7), by helping maintain bone density it can help maintain posture and height.
Dental health
One of the main regulating proteins in dental health isosteocalcin — the same protein that is critical to bone metabolism and is activated by vitamin K2. Osteocalcin stimulates the growth of new bone and newdentin, which is the calcified tissue underneath the enamel of your teeth. (10, 11)
Problems with overdose
As there is no recommended daily intake set, there is no upper tolerable limit. However, “no adverse effects associated with vitamin K consumption from food or supplements have been reported inhumans or animals.” (12)
References:
- https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/5B9F317B526629D8BA77B6435F1E5509/S0007114513001013a.pdf/div-class-title-the-role-of-menaquinones-vitamin-k-span-class-sub-2-span-in-human-health-div.pdf
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7230802/
- https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/1475-2891-11-93
- https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/british-journal-of-nutrition/article/effect-of-menaquinone7-vitamin-k2-supplementation-on-osteocalcin-carboxylation-in-healthy-prepubertal-children/1819D1C95F6EE0E5F02E919EA7C1B1CF
- https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s007740070023
- https://efsa.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.2903/j.efsa.2017.4780
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23525894/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6040265/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6214857/
- https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminK-HealthProfessional/#en36
