What is vitamin K2 used for?

Vitamin K is an essential vitamin that supports blood clotting and healthy bones. It exists in two forms, K-1 and K-2. Vitamin K-1 is the primary form and it comes mainly from green vegetables. Vitamin K-2 occurs in animal proteins and fermented foods. The bacteria in the human gut also produce small amounts of K-2. The article below discusses vitamin K-2, its function, and how it differs from K-1. Also the article outlines food sources, health benefits, recommended daily intake, deficiency symptoms and how to supplement.

Most people have never heard of vitamin K2. This vitamin is rare in the diet and often doesn't get the attention it deserves. However, this nutrient plays an essential role in many aspects related to health. In fact, the lack of vitamin K2 in the diet has been shown to increase the risk of several chronic diseases.
Vitamin K was discovered in 1929 as an essential nutrient involved in the blood clotting process of the body. The initial findings of vitamin K were reported in a German scientific journal, where it was called vitamin Koagulations and later referred to as vitamin K for short.
Vitamin K was discovered by dentist Weston Price , who traveled the world in the early 20th century to study the relationship between diet and disease in different populations. He discovered that a special diet including a variety of unidentified nutrients has the ability to protect the body from tooth decay and a number of chronic diseases including vitamin K.
Vitamin K exists under The 2 main forms are vitamin K1 and vitamin K2:
Vitamin K1 occurs in many plant-based foods, including green leafy vegetables. Vitamin K2 is found in foods of animal origin and foods. fermented products. Vitamin K2 can be broken down into many different subtypes, but the two most important ones that are often mentioned are MK-4 and MK-7.

Vitamin K activates proteins that play a role in blood clotting, calcium metabolism as well as the functioning of the cardiovascular system. One of the most important functions of vitamin K in general and vitamin K2 in particular is to regulate calcium deposition. In other words, vitamin K promotes bone calcification and prevents calcification of blood vessels and kidneys.
Some scientists think the roles of vitamins K1 and K2 are quite different and they feel the two vitamins should be classified as nutrients with separate effects. This idea was formed after an animal study was done showing that vitamin K2 specifically MK-4 reduces vascular calcification while vitamin K1 does not.
Other studies done also show that vitamin K2 supplements often improve bone and heart health while vitamin K1 provides no significant benefits for these organs. However, more studies in humans are needed to fully understand the function of vitamin K1 and vitamin K2.

As mentioned above, vitamin K2 plays an important role in the functioning of many organs in the body. The effects that vitamin K2 brings include:
Preventing heart-related diseases: Calcium accumulation in the arteries around the heart is a risk factor for metabolic cardiovascular diseases such as hypertension, pathology. coronary artery, dyslipidemia. .., so anything that can reduce this calcium accumulation can help prevent heart disease, and vitamin K is thought to help by preventing calcium from being deposited in the arteries. In one study that lasted about 10 years, people who consumed high amounts of vitamin K2 had a 52% lower risk of arterial calcification and a 57% lower risk of dying from heart disease.
Another study in 16,057 women found that participants with the highest intake of vitamin K2 had a much lower risk of heart disease. For every 10 mcg of K2 they consumed per day, their risk of heart disease was reduced by 9%.
Some intervention studies have been performed similarly with vitamin K1 but have not shown as effective as vitamin K2
Improve bone health and reduce the risk of osteoporosis: Osteoporosis is common in adults age, especially women, and increases the risk of fractures. Vitamin K2 plays a central role in the metabolism of calcium - the main mineral that makes up bones and teeth in the body. Vitamin K2 activates the calcium-binding activity of related proteins to build and maintain bone density. A 3-year study in 244 postmenopausal women found that those taking vitamin K2 supplements had a much slower decline in age-related bone mineral density than those who were vitamin K2 deficient. Long-term studies in Japan have also shown the same benefits of vitamin K2
Also people consuming large amounts of vitamin K2 reduce the risk of spine fractures by 60%, hip fractures by 77 % and other bones is 81%. According to the results of this study, vitamin K supplements in general and vitamin K2 in particular are recommended for the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis in Japan.
Improves Oral Health: Researchers have speculated on whether vitamin K2 affects oral health. However, there are no studies conducted in humans to answer this question. Based on animal studies regarding the role of vitamin K2 in bone metabolism, scientists have found that vitamin K2 also plays a role in oral health. One of the main proteins that regulate oral health is osteocalcin - also one of the proteins involved in bone metabolism that works based on the regulation of vitamin K2.
Along with two other more common vitamins, vitamin A and vitamin D, they work together to create strong teeth.
May aid in cancer prevention: Cancer is the leading cause of death worldwide. Although modern medicine is still trying to find the optimal cancer treatment, new cases of cancer are still increasing. Therefore, finding ways to prevent cancer is extremely important. There have been many studies looking at the link between vitamin K2 and cancer. Clinical studies have shown that vitamin K2 reduces the likelihood of liver cancer recurrence and increases the survival time of patients. Additionally, an observational study of 11,000 men found that a high intake of vitamin K2 reduced the risk of prostate cancer by 63%, while vitamin K1 had almost no effect. significantly.
Vitamin K2 for the development of children: As mentioned above, calcium plays a role in the structure of human bones and teeth, especially necessary for children in the development stage while vitamin K2 plays the role of activating calcium transporter proteins to bones, so calcium deficiency can slow the growth of the child's skeletal system leading to failure to achieve optimal height. A study on a group of children aged 8-11 years old in Vietnam showed that after 3 months of using a product containing vitamin K2, the indexes of weight, height, bone mass, bone density and serum osteocalcin concentration were improved. significantly improved compared to the non-user group. In addition, vitamin K2 helps protein bind to calcium and transport calcium to bone tissues. Vitamin K2 deficiency can cause excess calcium and cause constipation in children. Besides, excess calcium also causes fatigue, nausea, loss of appetite, reduced absorption of minerals and even limits the growth of bones and directly affects the height of children.

Foods rich in vitamin K1 are much more common than vitamin K2. Certain types of gut bacteria can convert some vitamin K1 into vitamin K2.
Fermented foods are a good source of vitamin K2. In addition, because vitamin K2 is fat-soluble, visceral fat and dairy products also contain significant amounts of vitamin K2. In contrast, lean meats such as poultry are not a good source of vitamin K2.
Dietary sources of vitamin K2 come from:
Fermented soybeans: This is a traditional and very popular dish in Japan Sauerkraut Dairy products, especially hard cheeses Liver and other visceral fats Beef Pork Egg Yolk Meat fatty fish such as salmon, mackerel.... Vitamin K is an essential nutrient for the body that exists in two forms vitamin K1 and vitamin K2. Vitamin K1 is involved in blood clotting factors while vitamin K2 is beneficial for bone and cardiovascular system health. Scientists believe that people at risk for cardiovascular disease should take vitamin K2 supplements more often. Although more research is needed before definite conclusions can be drawn, it is clear that vitamin K in general and vitamin K2 in particular play an essential role in body functions. Therefore, to maintain good health make sure to include adequate amounts of vitamin K1 as well as K2 in the diet.
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Reference source: medicalnewstoday.com, healthline.com
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