Vitamin K may not be as popular as vitamin C or B, yet, we can benefit a lot from it from improving bone health to heart health. Not many are aware of how helpful vitamin K can be, so today, we will shed more light on this vitamin and what it can do for your health.
What Is Vitamin K?
Discovered in 1929, vitamin K is more known as an essential nutrient for blood coagulation. This means it helps turn blood from liquid to gel. The blood clotting process makes sure that you don’t bleed out easily from a minor cut.
There are two forms of vitamin K, namely:
- Vitamin K1
Vitamin K1 is usually found in leafy green vegetables. Based on some studies, vitamin K1 doesn’t have any effect on blood vessel calcification, heart health, and bone health.
- Vitamin K2
Fermented and animal foods are the best sources of vitamin K2. It is further divided into MK-4 and MK-7. One study shows that MK-4 helps reduce calcification in blood vessels. Another study shows that taking vitamin K2 supplements helps improve heart and bone health.
What Can Vitamin K Help Wit
1. Strengthens Bones
When discussing bone strength, calcium, vitamin D, and magnesium are always part of the equation, and vitamin K2 should be, too. Vitamin K2 activates osteocalcin, which is an important protein for bone-building cells.
Several studies support this. A study was done on 244 post-menopausal women taking vitamin K2 supplements. The result showed that the vitamin helped delay the loss of bone mineral density. In Japan, vitamin K2 is used to help prevent osteoporosis and fractures. There was a 60%, 77%, and 81% reduction on spinal fractures, hip fractures, and non-spinal fractures respectively.
Furthermore, there were studies done on animals to see the effects of vitamin K2 on teeth. It is found that whenever osteocalcin is activated, it triggers the growth of dentin, a calcified tissue in teeth.
2. May Prevent Heart Diseases
Vitamin K helps in reducing the accumulation of calcium in the arteries as a build-up may lead to the development of heart diseases. Several studies support this, one of which is a study that lasted 7-10 years. It was discovered that people who take vitamin K2 supplements have a 52% less chance of having artery calcification. Another study showed that women who took 10 mcg of vitamin K2 a day reduced their risk for heart disease by 9%.
3. May Help in Fighting Cancer
Vitamin K2 might be able to help fight cancer as studies show. One clinical study found that taking vitamin K12 reduces the recurrence of liver cancer. At the same time, it helps increase survival from it, too. Another study of 11,000 men who took a higher than normal dosage of vitamin K2 showed a 63% lower risk of developing advanced prostate cancer.
Vitamin K2 and Vitamin D3
This pairing is highly promising. According to Nutrition Insight, here’s what this pairing can do: (1)
- While vitamin K2 promotes bone and heart health (as explained above), vitamin D3 helps the blood absorb calcium.
- Both vitamins help in the activation of the matrix GLA protein (MGP), which prevents artery calcification.
- A deficiency in vitamin D can lead to acute viral respiratory infections. When taking vitamin D3, it is always improved by vitamin K2. “Any existing product that includes vitamin D3 can be made better by including K2, regardless of dose format.” (1)
Wrapping Up
There’s no question that taking vitamin K2 can improve your health. The only question now is how to get it. Green leafy vegetables are excellent sources of vitamin K2 as well as Brussel sprouts, broccoli, fish, liver, eggs, cauliflower, and meat. As for the dosage, it is best to discuss this with your doctor as that may depend on several factors like your health condition, age, weight, etc.
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