Vitamin K – The supporter of Blood and Healthy Bones

Vitamin K is one of the vitamins that has received serious attention in the last few years and for good reason. It plays a role in blood clotting and maintaining a healthy bone system.

What is Vitamin K?

Vitamin K, along with vitamins A, D and E, is one of the four fat-soluble vitamins. It was discovered back in 1929 by the Danish biochemist Henrik Dam. Due to its ability to support blood clotting (coagulation) and the fact that the discovery was made in Germany, where the word coagulation is written Koagulation, he deserved the letter K. When we talk about vitamin K, we are not talking about just one chemical compound, but about 13. Vitamin K is a collection of molecules with a similar structure, which are divided into 2 subcategories – vitamin K1, also known as phylloquinone (phylloquinone) and vitamin K2, also known as menaquinone (menaquinone).

With vitamin K2, things get a little complicated. It is made up of a group of substances called menaquinones, which are divided into short-chain and long-chain. Their names begin with the letters MK. There are also 3 synthetic forms of the vitamin – K3, K4 and K5. Of these, only vitamin K3 shows signs of toxicity, so it is banned in many countries.

Sources of Vitamin K

Depending on its shape, the vitamin can be found in a variety of foods. K1 is found in plant food sources, especially in green leafy vegetables. Some of the richest foods are kale, spinach, broccoli, Brussels sprouts and asparagus. In the family of K2 and short-chain, the most important is MK-4, which is found in small quantities in animal food sources – eggs and meat. Of the long-chain, the most famous are MK-7, MK-8 and MK-9. They are found in the largest quantities in fermented foods, mostly various fermented cheeses and the traditional Japanese dish Nattō. Natto is probably the best source.

Although we get most of our vitamin K in the form of K1, in our body K1 is converted to MK-4. Vitamin K can also be found as a dietary supplement. Although K1 and K2 may be equally effective, we recommend the use of MK-7. Vitamin K2 MK-7 shows a much longer half-life, more stable serum levels and better accumulation with prolonged use.

What are its physiological properties?

Vitamin K is responsible for two extremely important things – it regulates blood clotting and supports bone strength and density. The way it works is complicated and we will save a lot of biology and chemistry. In short, the mechanism of action is through the so-called Vitamin K cycle.

Vitamin K is required for the synthesis of gamma-carboxyglutamate from glutamate. Synthesized gamma-carboxyglutamate is required for the work of certain proteins involved in blood clotting and bone metabolism. In the absence of enough vitamin, these proteins remain inactive and therefore do no work.

Additional properties and efficiency In recent years, vitamin K has become a major recommendation for people with impaired bone metabolism. Mostly for menopausal women diagnosed with decreased bone density. Although a firm conclusion cannot be drawn at this stage, it is a fact that vitamin K is also found in bones.

The fact is that the work of an important bone protein called osteocalcin depends on vitamin K. Osteocalcin is responsible for building bones. From a scientific point of view, there is research both in favor of and against the hypothesis of bone density and strength.

According to our observations, even if at the moment it cannot be said that vitamin K can completely stop the decrease in bone density in the respective risk groups, it can significantly reduce bone loss, and its combination with vitamin D is of great importance. . However, many more factors need to be explored.

Vitamin K is also recommended to reduce pathological calcification. With pathological calcification, things look much better, as the data supporting the effectiveness of vitamin K in reducing pathological calcification increase significantly and the positive effect of the vitamin can be considered confirmed.

What is the recommended intake? At this stage, the recommended intake varies between different countries, different age groups and gender. Women need a little less than men and it is recommended to take between 60 and 100 mcg per day. For men, the recommendation is between 80 and 120 mcg per day.

It is important to note that the above recommendations are for vitamin K1 and these recommendations are made on the basis of average intake of vitamin K from food. At this stage, there is still not enough data to give accurate recommendations for vitamin K2 intake.

It is the lack of sufficient scientific data that is the reason why it is not yet known exactly how much vitamin K is needed for optimal health. It is known how much is needed to avoid health problems, but it remains to be seen whether and how much more we can take and expect additional health benefits. If you are taking it as a dietary supplement, try to take doses of about 200-300 mcg in one or more doses. It is highly recommended to take the supplement during a high-fat diet, as their presence significantly improves the absorption of the vitamin.

Are we getting enough?

At this stage, vitamin K deficiency is rare and most people who have at least a slightly decent diet, including vegetables, manage to get enough of the vitamin to avoid health problems. People with impaired liver function, people on hemodialysis, suffering from celiac disease (gluten enteropathy), people diagnosed with Crohn’s disease and people taking anticoagulants are at risk of deficiency. Mild vitamin deficiency does not lead to significant problems, while severe deficiency leads mostly to bleeding.

How much is too much?

Interestingly, at this stage, there is no scientific study showing toxicity or other side effects in people with normal blood clotting. The latter is very important because vitamin K can be very dangerous in people taking coumarin-based anticoagulants (such as Warfarin).

Regardless of its form, the vitamin interacts with the effectiveness of anticoagulants by significantly reducing it. This can lead to internal bleeding and other complications. On the other hand, taking anticoagulants reduces vitamin K levels and it becomes a necessity. Ask your doctor if and in what amounts you can take vitamin K.

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