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Are You Getting Enough Vitamin K2?

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Fermented foods. By casanisa @ Shutterstock.com

Americans understand that they need calcium to support strong bones, but even those who are supplementing with calcium don’t always understand the important part Vitamin K2 plays in getting that calcium where it needs to go.

In times of trouble fresh fruits and vegetables may not be readily available which is why Your Survival Guy loads up on supplements including Vitamin K2 as recommended here by Dr. Joseph Mercola, who explains the benefits of Vitamin K2, writing:

Vitamin K is a fat-soluble vitamin essential for the functioning of several proteins involved in physiological processes. Naturally occurring forms are vitamin K1 (referred to as phylloquinone) and vitamin K2 (called menaquinones).1,2

Vitamin K1, which is derived from green plants, is best known for the role it plays in blood clotting, while vitamin K2, derived primarily from fermented foods and animal products such as eggs, meat and liver,3 is important to hormone production and utilization, as well as bone and heart health.

Vitamin K2 does not get the attention it deserves, and it’s highly likely you’re not getting enough in your diet. Although fat-soluble, the body stores very little and it’s rapidly depleted without regular dietary intake.

Before discussing the numerous areas of your health where vitamin K2 has a significant impact, it’s first important to understand the different forms of the vitamin.

The Different Forms of Vitamin K2

Vitamin K2 is needed to activate the protein osteocalcin, which is found in your bones. Without vitamin K2, this and other vitamin K2-dependent proteins remain inactivated, and cannot perform their biological functions.4

According to Leon Schurgers, a world-renowned researcher in vitamin K2, the difference between vitamins K1 and K2 was clearly established in The Rotterdam Study,5 published in 2004, of which Schurgers was a co-author.

While the study focused on the difference between how K1 and K2 affect the heart (K1 has no effect at all), the researchers also looked at what types of foods supply each of the vitamins. In an interview, he said:

“I measured a variety of food items for vitamin K content … Vitamin K1 is highly available in green, leafy vegetables — spinach, kale, broccoli and cabbage.

However, the absorption of vitamin K1 from food is extremely low. Only 10 percent of the vitamin K which is found in green leafy vegetables, is absorbed in your body … And there’s no variable or modification of the consumption that will significantly increase the absorption …”

Vitamin K2, on the other hand, was only present in fermented foods. It’s actually produced by specific bacteria during the fermentation process. Certain bacteria in your gut naturally produce vitamin K2 in your body as well. Interestingly, while the K1 in vegetables is poorly absorbed, virtually all of the K2 in fermented foods is readily available to your body. Vitamin K2 can be further broken down into:6,7,8

•MK-4 (menaquinone-4), a short-chain form of vitamin K2 found in animal-based foods such as meats dairy and eggs. MK-4 also has a very short biological half-life — about 2.5 hours — making it a poor candidate as a dietary supplement.

That said, natural MK-4 from food is important for good health,9 as MK-4 plays a role in gene expression, turning some genes off and others on, and is therefore important for cancer prevention.10

•MK-7 (menaquinone-7), longer-chain forms found in fermented foods. There’s a variety of these long-chain forms, but the most common one is MK-7. This is the one you’ll want to look for in supplements, as this form is extracted from real food, specifically natto,11 a fermented soy product.

The MK-7, which forms in the fermentation process, has two major advantages. It stays in your body longer and has a longer half-life, which means you can take it just once a day in very convenient dosing.12 Research13 has shown MK-7 helps prevent inflammation by inhibiting proinflammatory markers that can cause autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis.

While vitamin K1 has been found to “moderately reduce” the risk of bone fractures,14 MK-7 is more effective than vitamin K1 at reaching your bone.15,16 In your bones, vitamin K2 is used to produce osteocalcin, improving metabolic and hormonal health and exercise performance.

Cardiovascular Protection and Cofactor for Vitamin D, Calcium

Calcium deposits in the arteries are responsible for atherosclerosis, hardening and narrowing of the arteries, slowly blocking blood flow.

It’s a common cause of heart attacks, strokes and peripheral vascular disease. Vitamin K2 is important in the activation of important proteins, such as matrix GLA-protein (MGP), found in your vascular system,17 and studies have demonstrated K2 inhibits arterial calcification and improves arterial flexibility,18,19 thereby reducing your risk of atherosclerosis.

One recent study20 proposed therapeutic supplementation with vitamin K2 could prevent or halt progression of vascular calcification that may occur with excessive calcium intake, and other studies have demonstrated those eating the highest amount of vitamin K2 have the lowest risk of developing cardiovascular disease.21

Vitamin K2 also functions as an important cofactor for calcium and vitamin D. While calcium is important for strengthening bones and overall skeletal health, it only works when it gets to the right place. Vitamin K2 prevents calcium from being deposited along the walls of the blood vessels and directs it into the bone.22

So, it’s important to remember that vitamin K2 and vitamin D (along with calcium and magnesium) have a synergistic relationship when it comes to your bone and heart health. To maximize your benefits of oral vitamin D supplementation, it’s important to maintain optimal levels of vitamin K2.23 Studies indicate supplementing with both vitamins D3 and K2 offers greater cardiovascular health benefits than consuming either vitamin alone.24

Action Line: Take the time to understand your health, and make efforts to strengthen it. Nutrition is important, and something that should be part of your daily and survival planning. If you’re stocking up on survival foods, make sure they contain the right nutrition by clicking here to download my special report, FOOD SHORTAGE: Crazed Hoarding Is not Preparing.

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E.J. Smith - Your Survival Guy

E.J. Smith is Founder of YourSurvivalGuy.com, Managing Director at Richard C. Young & Co., Ltd., a Managing Editor of Richardcyoung.com, and Editor-in-Chief of Youngresearch.com. His focus at all times is on preparing clients and readers for “Times Like These.” E.J. graduated from Babson College in Wellesley, Massachusetts, with a B.S. in finance and investments. In 1995, E.J. began his investment career at Fidelity Investments in Boston before joining Richard C. Young & Co., Ltd. in 1998. E.J. has trained at Sig Sauer Academy in Epping, NH. His first drum set was a 5-piece Slingerland with Zildjians. He grew-up worshiping Neil Peart (RIP) of the band Rush, and loves the song Tom Sawyer—the name of his family’s boat, a Grady-White Canyon 306. He grew up in Mattapoisett, MA, an idyllic small town on the water near Cape Cod. He spends time in Newport, RI and Bartlett, NH—both as far away from Wall Street as one could mentally get. The Newport office is on a quiet, tree lined street not far from the harbor and the log cabin in Bartlett, NH, the “Live Free or Die” state, sits on the edge of the White Mountain National Forest. He enjoys spending time in Key West and Paris. Please get in touch with E.J. at ejsmith@yoursurvivalguy.com