Vitamin K2 Amazing

I have spent the past 20 years researching supplements to discern which ones I can recommend as alternatives or additions to other therapies, including pharmaceutical drugs. I always prefer to use natural products because of their general safety and minimal, if any, side effects. Of course, “doing no harm” or “having no side effects” does not necessarily make a nutraceutical efficacious.

I have dedicated considerable time to finding products proven to work as evidenced by rigorous scientific research. For decades, we have known about the role of vitamin K1 on coagulation. (Every practitioner knows about avoiding greens, a rich source of vitamin K1, when a patient is on warfarin.) Vitamin K2, however, is equally important and is an indispensable component of optimal bone and cardiac health. The science on vitamin K2 is robust and rapidly accumulating, and it is time for vitamin K2 to take its place on the list of essential supplements. Here is just a small fraction of what we already know and what exciting new research is soon to be published.



Forms and Benefits

Vitamin K2 is part of the vitamin K family, a group of fat-soluble vitamins. This family is actually split into two groups: vitamin K1 and vitamin K2. The difference lies on a molecular level. Vitamin K1 has one molecule (phylloquinone), while the K2 group comprises multiple molecules (menaquinone).

Members of the vitamin K family have the same structure—they share a “quinone” ring. Members of the vitamin K2 group, however, have multiple carbon-hydrogen atoms in their side-chain, called isoprenoid residues. The length of the side-chain dictates vitamin K2’s ability to reach different tissues within the body—the longer the side-chain, the more effective the form of vitamin K2. It will be absorbed better, stay in the blood longer, and will be more active in bone, arteries, and soft tissues.

Vitamin K2 has traditionally been available in supplements and functional foods as synthetic MK-4 and natural MK-7. In 2012, Sato et al. examined MK-4 versus MK-7, seeking to decipher which is more bioavailable.1 In this study, single-dose administrations of MK-4 (420 µg; 945 nmol) or MK-7 (420 µg; 647 nmol) were administered to healthy Japanese women with a standardized breakfast. MK-7 was well-absorbed and reached maximum serum level at six hours after intake and was detected up to 48 hours after intake. MK-4 was not detectable in the serum of all subjects at any time point. Consecutive administration of MK-4 (60 µg; 135 nmol) or MK-7 (60 µg; 92 nmol) for seven days demonstrated that MK-4 supplementation did not increase serum MK-4 levels; however, consecutive administration of MK-7 increased serum MK-7 levels significantly in all subjects.

The researchers concluded that MK-4 does not contribute to vitamin K status as measured by serum vitamin K levels. MK-7, however, significantly increases serum MK-7 levels and, therefore, may be of particular importance for extra-hepatic tissues, or tissues beyond the liver.

Read More Here http://www.nutritionaloutlook.com/1501/Vitamin