Vitamin K
There’s more than just one kind of vitamin K!
Vitamin K refers to a group of fat-soluble vitamins that helps maintain healthy bone density, encourage arterial health and support overall heart health. Each kind of vitamin K helps support our health in different ways.
Vitamin K benefits
Studies have shown that vitamin K can:
- Strengthen bones, reducing the fracture risk
- Lower risk of developing diabetes
- Promote brain health
- Reduce inflammation
- Support a healthy heart
Vitamin K1
- Vitiman K1 (phylloquinone) K1 is the most common form of vitamin K.
- It's made by plants and and is most abundant in green leafy vegetables, kale, spinach, and broccoli.
- Vitamin K is essential to the circulatory system: without it, the liver is unable to produce the molecules that ensure coagulation of the blood
Vitamin K2
- Vitamin K2 (menaquinones) is made up of several related subtypes, and the most studied forms are menaquinone-4 (MK-4), menaquinone-7 (MK-7), and Menaquinone 9 (MK-9).
- Vitamin K2 is found in dairy, fermented foods, and animal products.
- It has been found to be up to 6 times more bioavailable than K1 and to remain active in the body for a longer period of time.
- Vitamin K2 is essential for bone mineralization, the process of binding calcium and depositing it in the bone, helping to maintain healthy bone density.
- It has also been shown to protect against cardiovascular disease. It activates matrix Gla protein, which is a vitamin K-dependent protein that helps inhibit calcium from entering soft tissues like arterial walls and forming calcified plaques. In turn, this improves overall heart health.
Vitamin K deficiency
Low levels of vitamin K in the blood and in the diet are associated with low bone mineral density in women (K2) and bleeding (K1).
