Vitamin K
The Cancer-Preventing Vitamin Your Doctor Is Likely Completely Clueless About
The Cancer-Preventing Vitamin Your Doctor Is Likely Completely Clueless About
Vitamin K may be "the next vitamin D" if research continues to illuminate the growing number of benefits to your health.
Dr. Cees Vermeer, one of the world's top researchers in the field of vitamin K, founded a vitamin K research group in 1975, which is now the largest group investigating this area of nutrition science.
How many people have adequate vitamin K… care to guess?
Just about zero, according to Dr. Vermeer and other experts in the field.
Most people get just enough K from their diets to maintain adequate blood clotting, but NOT enough to offer protection against he following health problems—and the list is growing:
Prostate cancer, lung cancer, liver cancer and leukemia
Arterial calcification, cardiovascular disease and varicose veins
Osteoporosis
Brain health problems, including dementia, the specifics of which are still being studied
Vitamin K comes in two forms, and it is important to understand the differences between them before devising your nutritional plan of attack.
Two Basic Types of Vitamin K
Vitamin K can be classified as either K1 or K2:
Vitamin K1: Found in green vegetables, K1 goes directly to your liver and helps you maintain a healthy blood clotting system. (This is the kind of K that infants need to help prevent a serious bleeding disorder.)
It is also vitamin K1 that keeps your own blood vessels from calcifying, and also helps your bones retain calcium and develop the right crystalline structure.
Vitamin K2: Bacteria produce this type of vitamin K. It is present in high quantities in your gut, but unfortunately is not absorbed from there and therefore most of it is passed out in your stool.
K2 goes straight to vessel walls, bones, and tissues other than the liver. It is present in fermented foods, particularly cheese and the Japanese food natto, which is by far the richest source of K2.
Vitamin K2 can convert to K1 in your body. As a supplement, K1 is less expensive, which is why it's the form used for neonates.
Making matters even more complex, there are several different forms of vitamin K2.
MK8 and MK9 come primarily from dairy products. MK4 and MK7 are the two most significant forms of K2, and act very differently in your body:
MK4 is a synthetic product, very similar to vitamin K1, and your body is capable of converting K1 into MK4. However, MK4 has a very short half-life of about one hour, making it a poor candidate as a dietary supplement. After reaching your intestines, it remains mostly in your liver, where it is useful in synthesizing blood-clotting factors.
MK7 is a newer agent with more practical applications because it stays in your body longer; its half-life is three days, meaning you have a much better chance of building up a consistent blood level, compared to MK4 or K1. MK7 is extracted from the Japanese food called natto.
Vitamin K Research is Clearly Impressive
In 2008, a German research group discovered that vitamin K2 provides substantial protection against prostate cancer, which is one of the most common types of cancer among men in the United States. According to Dr. Vermeer, men taking the highest amounts of K2 had about 50 percent less prostate cancer.
Research results are similarly encouraging for the benefits of vitamin K to your cardiac health.
In 2004, the Rotterdam Study, which was the first study demonstrating the beneficial effect of vitamin K2, showed that those who consumed 45 mcg of K2 daily lived seven years longer than those getting 12 mcg per day.
In a subsequent study called the Prospect Study, 16,000 people were followed for 10 years. Researchers found that each additional 10 mcg of K2 in the diet resulted in 9 percent fewer cardiac events.
There is also research emerging that vitamin K can help protect against brain disease. However, it is too early to say exactly what types of damage it prevents, and how, but it is an area of intense interest to vitamin K scientists right now.
Getting More Vitamin K into Your Diet
Eating lots of green vegetables will increase your vitamin K1 levels naturally, especially kale, spinach, collard greens, broccoli, and Brussels sprouts.
For vitamin K2, cheese and especially cheese curd is an excellent source. The starter ferment for both regular cheese and curd cheese contains bacteria—lactococci and proprionic acids bacteria—which both produce K2. You get the benefits of these bacteria when you consume them.
Both types of cheese have the same amount of K2, but curd cheese has less fat. If you eat 100 grams of cheese daily, you get 45 mcg of vitamin K2, which will lower your risk for heart attack by 50 percent, according to existing studies.
You can obtain all the K2 you'll need (about 200 micrograms) by eating 15 grams of natto daily, which is half an ounce. It's a small amount and very inexpensive. It'll only shrink your wallet by about two dollars a month.
If you don't care for the taste of natto, the next best thing is a supplement. Remember you must always take your vitamin K supplement with fat since it is fat-soluble and won't be absorbed without it.
You need not worry about overdosing on K2—people have been given a thousand-fold increase over the recommended dose over the course of three years have shown no adverse reactions (i.e., no increased clotting tendencies).
Although the exact dosing is yet to be determined, Dr. Vermeer recommends between 45 mcg and 185 mcg daily for adults. You must use caution on the higher doses if you take anticoagulants, but if you are generally healthy and not on these types of medications, I suggest 150 mcg daily.
It is quite likely that doses of several times that amount are safe for the average person, but we just lack the research to confirm it at this time.
Vitamin D is Vitamin K's Best Friend
Dr. Vermeer makes the point that vitamin K will never be able to do its work alone. It needs collaborators—and vitamin D is an important one.
There is a synergistic effect between vitamins D and K.
These two agents work together to increase MGP, or Matrix GLA Protein, which is the protein responsible for protecting your blood vessels from calcification. In fact, MGP is so important that it can be used as a laboratory measure of your vascular and cardiac status.
If you are concerned about your bones, you must balance a nutritional triad:
vitamin D
vitamin K
calcium
Increasing calcium is good for your bones but not so good for your arteries, which can become calcified. Vitamin K protects your blood vessels from calcifying when in the presence of high calcium levels. So you really must pay attention to the synergism of all three of these nutrients if you want to optimize your benefits.
Laboratory Testing for Vitamin K is in its Infancy
Vitamin K measurements in blood plasma can be done accurately, but the results are really not helpful because they mainly reflect "what you ate yesterday," according to Dr. Vermeer.
Because there are no good laboratory assessments, he and his team have developed and patented a very promising laboratory test to assess vitamin K levels indirectly by measuring circulating MGP. Their studies have indicated this to be a very reliable method to assess the risk for arterial calcification—hence cardiac risk.
They are hoping to have this test available to the public within one to two years for a reasonable price, and several labs are already interested.
Additionally, they are working on developing a home test that would be available at your neighborhood drug store.
At this time, however, there is really no commercial test that would give you meaningful information. But since nearly 100 percent of people don't get sufficient amounts of vitamin K from their diet to reap its health benefits, you can assume you need to bump up your vitamin K levels by modifying your diet or taking a high quality supplement.
“FORGOTTEN for Over 80 Years - Dr. Joseph Mercola, July 29, 2010
Could this be the New Vitamin D?”
Considered unimportant and forgotten for decades, scientists worldwide are now recognizing its extraordinary benefits to your bones and heart health.* This is one vital nutrient you do NOT want to be deficient in…
It’s been over 10 years, since I began educating and helping people understand the importance of vitamin D… specifically, vitamin D3.
Of course, I wasn’t alone in this effort. Many others contributed to helping overcome some of the myths about sunlight and how critical vitamin D3 is to your overall health.
And now I believe another nutrient, appropriately labeled the ’forgotten vitamin,’ is about to explode in popularity as researchers are uncovering more of its spectacular health benefits every day.
Why has it been forgotten and somewhat ignored for over 80 years?
Could this be the New Vitamin D?”
Considered unimportant and forgotten for decades, scientists worldwide are now recognizing its extraordinary benefits to your bones and heart health.* This is one vital nutrient you do NOT want to be deficient in…
It’s been over 10 years, since I began educating and helping people understand the importance of vitamin D… specifically, vitamin D3.
Of course, I wasn’t alone in this effort. Many others contributed to helping overcome some of the myths about sunlight and how critical vitamin D3 is to your overall health.
And now I believe another nutrient, appropriately labeled the ’forgotten vitamin,’ is about to explode in popularity as researchers are uncovering more of its spectacular health benefits every day.
Why has it been forgotten and somewhat ignored for over 80 years?
I’m not sure anyone can really answer why this vitamin’s health-enhancing benefits have been so overlooked. But certainly there’s a clue to its importance here because in some areas of the world (like India), government health agencies regulate this vitamin.
If this nutrient did not have any beneficial health advantages, why would it be regulated by government health agencies?Plus, your potential benefits from this extraordinary nutrient are pretty much off the chart.
If this nutrient did not have any beneficial health advantages, why would it be regulated by government health agencies?Plus, your potential benefits from this extraordinary nutrient are pretty much off the chart.
For example, this vitamin…
Helps you build strong bones and keep them healthy*
Helps boost your vascular (arteries and veins) system*
Promotes your healthy heart*
Helps you fight against premature aging*
Enhances your memory function*
And this is just a start…
Helps you build strong bones and keep them healthy*
Helps boost your vascular (arteries and veins) system*
Promotes your healthy heart*
Helps you fight against premature aging*
Enhances your memory function*
And this is just a start…
Before I get into more details on this vital nutrient, I must warn you up front… there are synthetic forms of this nutrient that may put your health at risk.
So, it’s very important to make sure you fully understand what to look for.
After all, the whole purpose here is to give more exposure to the ‘forgotten vitamin’ so you can reap the benefits… not to spike any health risk.
And that’s exactly what I’m planning to do. Just please pay close attention to the details on the different types of this nutrient to avoid potentially risky synthetics.
Next, let’s discover…
Why You Could be Deficient in this Vital Nutrient
It’s hard to understand why this vitamin has been so overlooked over the years. And estimates range as high as 99% of the population could be deficient in this nutrient.
There are many conditions where you could be putting yourself at risk for a higher likelihood of deficiency.
First of all, this vitamin is fat-soluble.
What does that mean? Well, fat-soluble simply means that dietary fat is necessary for efficient absorption. So, if your diet does not contain adequate amounts of dietary fat, your absorption of this nutrient could be impacted.
There are additional conditions that could increase your risk of deficiency in this essential vitamin…
Eating a poor or restricted diet
Having certain conditions like Crohn’s, ulcerative colitis, celiac, and others that interfere with nutrient absorption
Dealing with a liver condition that interferes with vitamin storage
Taking certain medications such as broad-spectrum antibiotics, cholesterol drugs, and potentially aspirin that may impact or block vitamin absorption
Eating foods containing the wrong type of this vitamin with poor bioavailability
So, it’s very important to make sure you fully understand what to look for.
After all, the whole purpose here is to give more exposure to the ‘forgotten vitamin’ so you can reap the benefits… not to spike any health risk.
And that’s exactly what I’m planning to do. Just please pay close attention to the details on the different types of this nutrient to avoid potentially risky synthetics.
Next, let’s discover…
Why You Could be Deficient in this Vital Nutrient
It’s hard to understand why this vitamin has been so overlooked over the years. And estimates range as high as 99% of the population could be deficient in this nutrient.
There are many conditions where you could be putting yourself at risk for a higher likelihood of deficiency.
First of all, this vitamin is fat-soluble.
What does that mean? Well, fat-soluble simply means that dietary fat is necessary for efficient absorption. So, if your diet does not contain adequate amounts of dietary fat, your absorption of this nutrient could be impacted.
There are additional conditions that could increase your risk of deficiency in this essential vitamin…
Eating a poor or restricted diet
Having certain conditions like Crohn’s, ulcerative colitis, celiac, and others that interfere with nutrient absorption
Dealing with a liver condition that interferes with vitamin storage
Taking certain medications such as broad-spectrum antibiotics, cholesterol drugs, and potentially aspirin that may impact or block vitamin absorption
Eating foods containing the wrong type of this vitamin with poor bioavailability
I’m ready to dive into your best natural source of this ‘forgotten vitamin’… but first, right up front, I want to further raise your awareness of…
Synthetic Pretenders – What to Look For and Avoid
If you haven’t figured out what the ‘forgotten vitamin’ is by now let me tell you that this new wonder kid on the block is vitamin K. You can rest assured that in the next few years you will hear the media rave about its benefits.
But fortunately, since you are reading Mercola.com you can learn about this long before the rest of population discovers its benefits.
Danish scientist, Dr. Henrik Dam, discovered vitamin K in 1929. The ‘K’ is for ‘koagulation’ – essential for blood clotting.* But it only starts there.
Synthetic Pretenders – What to Look For and Avoid
If you haven’t figured out what the ‘forgotten vitamin’ is by now let me tell you that this new wonder kid on the block is vitamin K. You can rest assured that in the next few years you will hear the media rave about its benefits.
But fortunately, since you are reading Mercola.com you can learn about this long before the rest of population discovers its benefits.
Danish scientist, Dr. Henrik Dam, discovered vitamin K in 1929. The ‘K’ is for ‘koagulation’ – essential for blood clotting.* But it only starts there.
Vitamin K is unique because it has multiple effects in your body, but doesn’t demonstrate any known toxicity. With research focused on potential effects on your skeletal system, brain, liver, and pancreas, vitamin K is one of the most promising nutrients of our time.*
But you should know about the different types. And in particular, know which synthetic type to be on the look out for.
There are three main forms of vitamin K…
K1 – phylloquinone, aka phytonadione
K2 – menaquinone
K3 – menadione synthetic variant
Vitamin K3 is a synthetic variant of the vitamin which I don’t recommended for human consumption… this is the one you and your family need to avoid at all costs.
But you should know about the different types. And in particular, know which synthetic type to be on the look out for.
There are three main forms of vitamin K…
K1 – phylloquinone, aka phytonadione
K2 – menaquinone
K3 – menadione synthetic variant
Vitamin K3 is a synthetic variant of the vitamin which I don’t recommended for human consumption… this is the one you and your family need to avoid at all costs.
Green leafy vegetables – including lettuce, broccoli, and spinach contain vitamin K1. And it makes up about 90 percent of the vitamin K in the Western-style diet.
The vitamin K which I recommend is vitamin K2 – natural, non-toxic, and made in your body as well.
Vitamin K2 includes several menaquinones (MK-n, with the ‘n’ determined by the number of prenyl side chains), such as MK-4 found in meats, MK-7, MK-8, and MK-9 found in fermented food products like cheese and natto.
What is Your Best Source of the ‘Forgotten Vitamin’?
One of the best natural sources of vitamin K2 comes from an ancient Japanese food called natto.
So, what is natto?
Natto…Is a fermented soybean food. Contains nattokinase, a powerful beneficial enzyme rich in vitamin K2. Comes loaded with a healthy bacteria called bacillus subtilus that may also serve as a probiotic*
The vitamin K which I recommend is vitamin K2 – natural, non-toxic, and made in your body as well.
Vitamin K2 includes several menaquinones (MK-n, with the ‘n’ determined by the number of prenyl side chains), such as MK-4 found in meats, MK-7, MK-8, and MK-9 found in fermented food products like cheese and natto.
What is Your Best Source of the ‘Forgotten Vitamin’?
One of the best natural sources of vitamin K2 comes from an ancient Japanese food called natto.
So, what is natto?
Natto…Is a fermented soybean food. Contains nattokinase, a powerful beneficial enzyme rich in vitamin K2. Comes loaded with a healthy bacteria called bacillus subtilus that may also serve as a probiotic*
Fermented foods, like natto, typically have the highest concentration of vitamin K in the human diet. Levels of vitamin K found in natto (K2) have been shown to far exceed those amounts found in dark green vegetables (K1).In fact, vitamin K2 concentration after the consumption of natto has been shown to be about 10 times higher than that of vitamin K1 after eating spinach.Unfortunately, most people do not eat or enjoy many fermented foods. And the absorption of vitamin K1 through eating green leafy vegetable is not very efficient… some research shows only about 10-15% gets absorbed even when consumed with dietary fat. The problem with natto is that most people do not enjoy eating it because they find it very distasteful. It has a slippery texture with a strong flavor and pungent aroma. Some people do acquire a taste for natto over time. But many never do.
Any wonder why most people may be deficient in vitamin K?... They simply may not be eating the right food to provide what’s needed. So, what can be done to solve this issue? That’s where I can offer some recommendations to help out.
Before we dive into that, I first want to address the natto issue and the fact that it comes from soy. If you’ve been a visitor to my site, you’re probably already aware that I’m not a big fan of soy. But if you look closely, there is one exception and that’s…Why This Type of Soy Could be Healthful for You. Like I said, I’m not an advocate of eating unfermented soy. Why?
Many people still believe unfermented and processed soy products like soy milk, soy cheese, soy burgers, and soy ice cream are actually healthful when nothing could be further from the truth. Today’s high-tech processing methods leave toxic and carcinogenic residues created by high temperatures, high pressure, alkali and acid baths, and petroleum solvents in unfermented soy.
Natto does not come from unfermented soy… it’s derived from healthful fermented soy and provides an extraordinary rich source of vitamin K2.
Fermented Dairy – Another Excellent Source of Vitamin K2. While natto is the most potent natural source of vitamin K2, the nutrient is also readily available in fermented dairy products, especially cheeses.
Most cheeses are rich in vitamin K2… particularly, curd cheese. And even though it’s not as high in vitamin K2 as natto, curd cheese may be more palatable on a day-to-day basis for many people. Raw curd cheese made from grass fed cows would be best. Like I mentioned earlier, most people have a difficult time acquiring a taste for natto… especially on the regular basis needed for healthy K2 absorption.
Curd cheese is also a good vitamin K2 source because it’s lower in fat (animal fat) than regular cheese. When compared to natto in equal portions… Japanese food natto contains over 27 times more vitamin K2 than curd cheese.
No Good Vitamin K2 Test.
One of the reasons vitamin D became so popular is that a relatively inexpensive test became commercially available in the 1990s. That allowed researchers and clinicians to gain a better understanding of vitamin D. Unfortunately there really isn’t a great commercial assay for vitamin K2 yet.
One of the reasons vitamin D became so popular is that a relatively inexpensive test became commercially available in the 1990s. That allowed researchers and clinicians to gain a better understanding of vitamin D. Unfortunately there really isn’t a great commercial assay for vitamin K2 yet.
Sure there is a blood test. But, this classic measure of vitamin K deficiency uses clotting time and what’s called ‘prothrombin’… which provides almost no value for determining vitamin K deficiency in your bones or arteries. In fact in some cases, blood levels of vitamin K may appear normal while a real deficiency exists in your bones. So, more work needs to be done in the area of vitamin K deficiency testing. As this ‘forgotten vitamin’ gets more and more of the attention it deserves, I’m confident modern medical science will determine a more accurate test… just like the comprehensive test eventually created for vitamin D.
With potential health advantages (in addition to the ones already mentioned above) in which vitamin K has been shown to…
Promote your heart health*
Protect and support your skin*
Provide the calcium path ‘key’ from your bloodstream to your bones*
Boost your overall immune system*
Help regulate calcification of your tissues*
Provide you powerful antioxidant benefits*
Protect your cells against oxidative damage*
Aid in supporting your already normal blood sugar levels*
… it’s only a matter of time before a more comprehensive test evolves.
Promote your heart health*
Protect and support your skin*
Provide the calcium path ‘key’ from your bloodstream to your bones*
Boost your overall immune system*
Help regulate calcification of your tissues*
Provide you powerful antioxidant benefits*
Protect your cells against oxidative damage*
Aid in supporting your already normal blood sugar levels*
… it’s only a matter of time before a more comprehensive test evolves.
In the meantime, it’s important you take vitamin K deficiency seriously and take action to provide yourself and your loved ones with enough vitamin K. And if you do not like the taste of natto, or prefer not to eat curd cheese, I have a phenomenal solution for you coming up. But next, let’s take a closer look at…
How This Vitamin Goes to Work for YOU
While other nutrients are important for maintaining and promoting your bone health (like vitamin D3, calcium, and magnesium), evidence continues to grow indicating a vital role vitamin K plays in bone metabolism and healthy bone growth.*
In fact it may be the modern day “missing link” to increasing your bone density.
While other nutrients are important for maintaining and promoting your bone health (like vitamin D3, calcium, and magnesium), evidence continues to grow indicating a vital role vitamin K plays in bone metabolism and healthy bone growth.*
In fact it may be the modern day “missing link” to increasing your bone density.
Vitamin K has been linked to osteoblasts, the cells that generate or ‘lay down’ bone and produce a specific protein known as osteocalcin.*
You can think of osteocalcin like the studs in the wall of your house. Basically, osteocalcin acts as the structural framework holding calcium in place in your bones.*
And vitamin K is critical for producing osteocalcin protein.*
Why is this so important? Because osteocalcin cannot perform its job until vitamin K converts it to an active bone-building form. The bottom line – vitamin K is the ‘key’ that unlocks the door from your bloodstream to let calcium flow into your bones and bone marrow.*
Without this vitamin K key action, you simply wouldn't have the strong bones you do.* Plus, there’s another area vitamin K plays an important role, particularly vitamin K2.
I mentioned earlier how osteoblasts are important cells responsible for bone formation. Well, while these osteoblast cells are busy building bone, other cells called osteoclasts are trying to break down bone and remove bone tissue.
You can think of osteocalcin like the studs in the wall of your house. Basically, osteocalcin acts as the structural framework holding calcium in place in your bones.*
And vitamin K is critical for producing osteocalcin protein.*
Why is this so important? Because osteocalcin cannot perform its job until vitamin K converts it to an active bone-building form. The bottom line – vitamin K is the ‘key’ that unlocks the door from your bloodstream to let calcium flow into your bones and bone marrow.*
Without this vitamin K key action, you simply wouldn't have the strong bones you do.* Plus, there’s another area vitamin K plays an important role, particularly vitamin K2.
I mentioned earlier how osteoblasts are important cells responsible for bone formation. Well, while these osteoblast cells are busy building bone, other cells called osteoclasts are trying to break down bone and remove bone tissue.
Vitamin K2 is so important because, not only has it been shown to stimulate and enhance osteocalcin production, it has also been shown to inhibit osteoclasts and help maintain your bones.*
Some Compelling Research
There are many research studies supporting how vitamin K2 works to help maintain healthy bone mass and growth through its effects on osteocalcin, osteoblasts, and osteoclasts.*
Here are few examples for reference purposes…
Journal of Bone and Mineral Research, 1997, Y. Koshihara and K Hoshi
Journal reference: “The results proved that vitamin K2 increased Gla-containing osteocalcin, which accumulated osteocalcin in the extracellular matrix, and facilitated mineralization in vitro.”
Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry, 2001, ZJ Ma and M Yamaguchi
Journal reference: “These results suggested that MK-7 (K2-7) has a suppressive effect on osteoclasts.”
Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry, 2001, M Yamaguchi et al1
Journal reference: “This study demonstrates that MK-7 (K2-7) has an anabolic effect on bone tissue and osteoblastic (MC3T3-E1) cells in vitro, suggesting that the compound can stimulate osteoblastic bone formation.”
In a human study, Japanese scientists examined the effect of vitamin K2 from fermented soybeans on normal individuals.
The scientists reached the following conclusion – “This illustrates that intake of K2-7 can stimulate carboxylation (gamma-carboxylated osteocalcin), which plays an important role in bone formation in normal individuals.”
So, the evidence is quite compelling when it comes to the vital role vitamin K2 potentially plays in promoting your healthy bones.*
