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Benefits of Vitamin K2 For Ideal Health Boost
Vitamin K2 is vital for bone strength, heart health, and calcium regulation, helping prevent arterial calcification and supporting overall well-being.
By WOWMD Staff
Fact Checked
Table of contents
All vitamins are essential and play key roles in maintaining your overall wellness and well-being. You can take them individually per your needs or take a multivitamin occasionally. Vitamins help fight infections and fatigue and strengthen your immune system; they’ve also been reported to help lift anxiety and depression.
We want to shine the spotlight on Vitamin K2. What is Vitamin K2? It’s a vital fat-soluble vitamin, also known as menaquinone (MK), that’s primarily found in animal products like eggs, dairy, some meats, and fermented foods like kimchi and sauerkraut.
Are people limiting themselves regarding the benefits they can enjoy from Vitamin K2?
An NIH study states, Vitamin K2 contributes to bone formation by promoting calcium deposition and other biological responses like nerve and liver protection, prevention of cardiovascular calcification, relief of menopause symptoms, enhancement of mitochondrial energy release, and osteogenesis of bone homeostasis.
So, are the benefits of Vitamin K2 a placebo effect, or are they effective? Let’s dive in to separate fact from fiction.
Key Takeaways
- Vitamin K2 is an essential nutrient that is key in supporting bone and heart health by regulating calcium buildup and activating bone-forming proteins
- Vitamin K2 deficiency and toxicity are rare occurrences. It is, however, essential to take in controlled quantities under your doctor’s directive
- You can get it from animal products, fermented foods, or vitamin k2 supplements
- Vitamin k2 can be taken on its own or together with other nutrients like calcium, vitamin D, or magnesium because they work well together and can enhance each other's effects.
Benefits of Vitamin K2
Are vitamin K2 benefits too good to be true? Is it necessary? Let’s analyze and examine some of the benefits below:
Promotes Bone Health By Synergistically Working with Vitamin D
Your body needs calcium to build and prevent the loss of bone tissue; if you don't have enough Vitamin D, it might be hard for your body to process and utilize the calcium you consume.
Read More: What Is The Role Of Vitamin D In Bone Development?
Vitamin D helps your body absorb calcium, and Vitamin K2 helps draw it out of your bloodstream and direct it to your bone tissue and teeth. The above processes may help maintain bone health and reduce the risk of fractures.
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Helps With Cardiovascular Health and Prevention of Heart Disease
It is another benefit tied to calcium, where its deposits can find their way to blood arteries, causing blockage and possibly leading to heart disease. The accumulation of calcium deposits in the body tissues is known as calcification.
Vitamin K2 can help reverse this condition by removing these deposits from arteries and other organs like the kidneys, reducing the risk of heart disease and other health conditions.
Find out why Vitamin K2 is so important for your health and how it supports bone and cardiovascular function.
Provides Protection Against Cancer
Some studies suggest that vitamin K2, due to its antioxidant properties, can help inhibit and protect against some types of cancer and tumor growth.
More research also supports claims that vitamin K2 has some effects on breast cancer, with the data showing promising evidence of the suppression of cell growth and migration.
Improves Cognition and Peripheral Neuropathy
New studies suggest vitamin K2 can positively impact peripheral neuropathy and cognitive function with supplements. It prevents calcium buildup in arteries and tissue and reduces the intensity of inflammation that might damage neurons.
Vitamin K2 can also prevent nerve damage resulting from poor blood circulation due to calcification.
Other health benefits that are related to the consumption of vitamin k2 are:
- It can help reduce aches and pains
- It improves and maintains the elasticity of blood arteries and vessels
- Reduces the risk of arthritis
- Slows down age-related bone tear and wear
- It can act as a coagulant that prevents bleeding
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Vitamin K2 Side Effects
Consumption of many vitamins requires a delicate balancing act; you don't want them to be too little to the point where they are deficient, and you also don’t want them to be too excessive to the point that they are inefficient or harmful to your body.
While all the situations above are rare, it’s important to monitor your intake of vitamin k2. For instance, the recommended vitamin K2 dosage for adults is 138 mcg for men and 122 mcg for women.
Some signs and symptoms that might be indicative of vitamin k2 side effects are:
- Lack of appetite
- Yellowing of skin and eyes
- Decreased mobility and activity
- Paleness
- Stiff muscles
- Irritability
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Conclusion
Most individuals believe in doing their best when it comes to taking care of their bodies; today’s fast-paced lifestyle might make it hard to keep up with all the requirements and practices that support optimum overall health.
Additionally, some people’s bodies cannot absorb and digest some nutrients, leading to vitamin k2 deficiency or certain medical conditions requiring dietary supplements.
Like with any other nutrients or supplements, it's essential to get tested and do blood work to know what you’re deficient in before you start taking them, and the same applies to vitamin K2.
According to Katherine Zeratsky, a registered dietitian nutritionist at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN.
Vitamin K supplementation may be needed for those who do not absorb fat well or for people in whom the pancreas is not functioning normally. The amount and type of supplements should be recommended by one's health care provider.
Final thoughts: You can take Vitamin K2 and D3 if needed; even though it is not a magic solution, it will act as a safety net against some health conditions while providing other benefits.
Learn more about Vitamin K:
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References
- The biological responses of vitamin K2: A comprehensive review https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10084986/
- Influence of Vitamin K on Bone Mineral Density and Osteoporosis - PMC https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7645307/
- Calcium Deposits (Calcification)_ Types, Causes & Risks https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/23117-calcium-deposits
- Effects of vitamins K2 and D3 supplementation in patients with severe coronary artery calcification_ a study protocol for a randomised controlled trial - PMC https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10351276/#:~:text=Coronary%20artery%20calcification%20(CAC)%20and,in%20the%20progression%20of%20CAC
- Frontiers _ Vitamin K2 Inhibits Hepatocellular Carcinoma Cell Proliferation by Binding to 17β-Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenase 4 https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/oncology/articles/10.3389/fonc.2021.757603/full
- Funded Grants _ Division of Cancer Prevention https://prevention.cancer.gov/funding-and-grants/funded-grants/R01CA258231
- Growing Evidence of a Proven Mechanism Shows Vitamin K2 Can Impact Health Conditions Beyond Bone and Cardiovascular - PMC https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8483258/#:~:text=For%20the%20first%20time%2C%20in,pain%2C%20weakness%2C%20and%20fatigue
- Effect of vitamin K2 in the treatment of nocturnal leg cramps in the older population_ Study protocol of a randomized, double-blind, controlled trial - PMC https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9996107/
- Vitamin K2—a neglected player in cardiovascular health_ a narrative review - PMC https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8596038/#:~:text=Increased%20vitamin%20K2%20intake,disease%2C%20and%20decrease%20cardiovascular%20mortality
- Vitamins K1 and K2_ The Emerging Group of Vitamins Required for Human Health - PMC https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5494092/
- Vitamin K as a Powerful Micronutrient in Aging and Age-Related Diseases_ Pros and Cons from Clinical Studies - PMC https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6747195/
- Vitamin K_ the effect on health beyond coagulation – an overview - PMC https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3321262/