Vitamin K2 is a comparatively recently-discovered important vitamin that contributes to coronary heart well being and bone power. By regulating blood clotting capabilities, the expansion and construction of blood vessels, and the era of bone tissue, vitamin K2 performs an important function in your long-term well being.
Trying to make use of vitamin K2 to enhance your coronary heart or bone well being? Try these key advantages of vitamin K2, compiled by our researchers.
Vitamin K2 advantages
1. Vitamin K2 is important for blood coagulation
Vitamin K2 was found comparatively late in comparison with different nutritional vitamins, however performs a key function within the blood clotting course of (1,2), offering robust proof for its significance in coronary heart well being.
2. Vitamin K2 may assist scale back threat for coronary heart illness
Researchers imagine vitamin K2 prevents the build-up of calcium in arteries (3), which is a significant threat consider creating coronary heart illness.
Folks with excessive ranges of vitamin K2 consumption have 52% decrease charges of arterial calcification and are 57% much less prone to die of coronary heart illness, in line with one other research (4).
3. Vitamin K2 is certainly one of two subtypes of vitamin Okay
Vitamin K1 is phylloquinone, and is present in leafy inexperienced plant meals (and plenty of inexperienced drinks); vitamin K2 is menaquinone, occurring in fermented meals and animal merchandise (5).
4. Vitamin K2 is important for robust bones and tooth
Vitamin K2 modifies proteins to facilitate the binding of calcium, a necessary mineral for robust bones and good tooth, in addition to different bodily capabilities (6).
Vitamin K2 additionally prompts the proteins that distribute calcium all through the physique. (7,8,9)
Researchers additionally imagine vitamin K2 works in live performance with nutritional vitamins A and D in retaining tooth robust and freed from cavities. (10)
5. A vitamin K2 complement can gradual the lack of bone density in older girls
This discovering is in line with a three-year research of post-menopausal girls (11), displaying that K2 reduces decreases in bone mass as girls become old.
A number of further research affirm the bone strengthening advantages of vitamin K2 (12,13).
Nevertheless, two different massive critiques concluded extra proof is required earlier than suggestions for supplementing with vitamin K2 to enhance bone well being might be endorsed (14, 15).
Vitamin K2 unwanted side effects
Vitamin K2 is extraordinarily protected for most individuals. No well being dangers from extreme vitamin Okay consumption have been recognized, both from supplemental vitamin K2 or any type of vitamin Okay present in meals (16).
Discuss to your physician earlier than taking vitamin K2 for those who take warfarin or different blood clotting medicine. Some coronary heart illness consultants imagine that vitamin K2 may work together with warfarin and amplify its blood-thinning results (17).
Vitamin K2 dosage
The most recent dietary pointers counsel you want a minimal of 90-120 mcg of vitamin K2 per day. Primarily based on new analysis on vitamin K2’s significance for bone and coronary heart well being, this stage was considerably elevated in 2020 (18).
Most research on utilizing vitamin K2 for bone and coronary heart well being use doses of 100 to 200 mcg of K2 per day. Primarily based on profitable research on K2 supplementation, we used this vary as a suggestion when formulating our complement rankings.
Vitamin K2 advantages FAQ
Q: Who’s in danger for vitamin K2 deficiency?
A: Folks with a weight-reduction plan low in inexperienced leafy greens are almost certainly to have K2 deficiency.
Sadly, this class contains about one third of American adults.
Moreover, folks with celiac illness and individuals who have had any sort of gastric bypass, lap band, or different weight reduction surgical procedure are sometimes in danger for vitamin K2 deficiency, as their potential to soak up vitamin Okay from their weight-reduction plan is impeded.
Q: What meals are wealthy in vitamin K2?
A: You’ll find vitamin K2 particularly in fermented meals, like cheese, miso, tempeh, or natto. Different types of vitamin Okay are readily present in inexperienced leafy greens like broccoli, kale, and collard greens.
Although your physique is sort of able to absorbing vitamin Okay in any of its varieties, vitamin Okay that’s present in greens is considered absorbed much less effectively than vitamin K2 from a complement.
Q: What vegan meals are excessive in vitamin K2?
A: In contrast to another nutritional vitamins, comparable to vitamin B12, vegans even have it fairly simple on the subject of getting satisfactory vitamin Okay consumption total. Vegan favorites like kale, broccoli, soy, and collard greens are all very excessive in vitamin Okay.
In case you are particularly in search of vitamin K2 it may be a bit trickier, however fermented soy merchandise like tempeh, miso, and natto are all nice bets.
Q: Is vitamin K2 protected to take?
A: Sure, no higher limits on consumption have been recognized. A 2001 report by the Institute of Drugs famous that no hostile results from vitamin Okay consumption have been recognized, both in people or in animals (19).
This contains each supplemental model of vitamin K2 and dietary sources of vitamin Okay in all of its varieties. The one caveat to that is that people who find themselves at the moment taking warfarin or different blood thinners ought to discuss to their physician earlier than altering their vitamin Okay consumption ranges, as a result of warfarin’s mechanism of motion might intervene with the sort of clotting that vitamin Okay promotes.
Associated: Our greatest vitamin K2 picks
Abstract
Vitamin K2 performs a essential function in regulating each coronary heart well being and bone power.
Vitamin K2 works finest when taken in a dosage of a minimum of 100 mcg, and is well-tolerated so long as you don’t take blood thinners.
It’s a terrific complement so as to add to your routine in case your focus is optimizing long-term well being, since each heart problems and osteoporosis turn out to be important dangers as you become old.
