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Like vitamins A, D and E, vitamin K is a fat-soluble vitamin. As such, it moves through the body within the LDL molecule and other lipoproteins. Vitamin K is involved in many enzyme reactions in which one substance is converted into another. A large part of our vitamin K balance comes from existing intestinal bacteria. Our vitamin K level is therefore highly dependent on the health of our intestines.
Vitamin K was first discovered in 1935. Scientists discovered at the time that the vitamin is a vital nutrient that prevents abnormal bleeding in chickens. Decades later, vitamin K was identified as a "coagulation vitamin". (The "K" stands for coagulation = clotting).
Vitamin K is actually a group of fat-soluble vitamins with similar chemical structures. The most important compounds appear to be vitamin K1 (phylloquinone) and vitamin K2 (a series of menaquinones). There is also vitamin K3 (menaphthone or menadione), an artificially produced active ingredient that used to be used as "provitamin K" but is now avoided because it can be toxic to humans, depending on the dosage.
Vitamin K1 or phylloquinone is mainly found in plant foods, for example in green vegetables. Around 75 to 90 percent of all vitamin K consumed by humans is K1.
Vitamin K2 is a group of compounds mainly from animal foods such as meat, cheese and eggs that are synthesized by intestinal bacteria. It consists of several subspecies called menachiones (MK). Menachiones have unsaturated isoprenyl side chains. Depending on the length of these side chains, they are numbered from MK-4 to MK-13. Mk-4, MK-7 and MK-9 are among the best-researched menahediones.
It has been shown that vitamin K2, especially vitamin K2-MK7, offers greater health benefits than K1 and is therefore particularly suitable as a dietary supplement.
MK7-all-trans is considered to be the most effective form, as it has the best bioavailability and the longest half-life. Products with a trans content of more than 98% are referred to as "all-trans". These products are of high quality and can be optimally utilized by the body.
Although the MK7cis form is chemically identical to the MK7-all-trans form, they differ in their geometric structure. As our body is only able to recognize trans isomers, it cannot utilize the MK7-cis form. This is therefore 99 percent ineffective.
In addition, K2 circulates in the blood for longer than K1 due to its long side chains: vitamin K1 for a few hours, K2 for up to several days.
Some scientists are convinced that the longer circulation time of vitamin K2 means that it can be better utilized in the various types of tissue in the body. Vitamin K1 is mainly transported to the liver and used there.
This distinction is essential in order to recognize the different functions that vitamin K1 and K2 perform in the body.
All vitamin K serves to activate proteins that play an important role in blood clotting and keeping the heart and bones healthy.
However, due to the differences in absorption and transport to the various body tissues, vitamin K1 and K2 can have fundamentally different effects on health.
At the turn of the millennium, scientists discovered that vitamin K causes changes in glutamic acid molecules that activate certain other vital proteins in the body. These proteins are called Gla proteins. According to a study from 2014, 16 different vitamin K-dependent Gla proteins have been identified to date. These must therefore be activated by vitamin K in order to carry out their respective functions.
Vitamin K1 is a vital vitamin. The body needs it for blood clotting. Vitamin K1 activates the protein prothombin, which causes the blood to clot and thus prevents excessive bleeding.
Vitamin K2 is also important for blood clotting. However, it is also needed for bone formation and other important processes in the body, for example it regulates the calcium level in the blood.
Vitamin K activates the proteins necessary for blood clotting by bringing about a slight, yet decisive change in the protein structure. This applies in particular to glutamic acid, an important protein building block. Taking too much vitamin K can reverse the effects of blood thinners. Newborn babies are given the vitamin to prevent blood clotting problems, as they do not have enough vitamin K themselves.
Some people suffer from blood clotting disorders and therefore take warfarin. This medication is designed to prevent the blood from clotting too easily. If you are also taking warfarin, you need to monitor your vitamin K levels closely, as vitamin K has a significant effect on blood clotting.
Most people only consider food sources of vitamin K1 in this context. However, vitamin K2 intake should also be monitored.
In one study, a single portion of vitamin K2-rich Nattō was sufficient to alter blood clotting for up to four days. These effects were considerably greater than those of vitamin K1-rich foods.
Vitamin K2 activates proteins that control where calcium is transported in the body. Through the discovery of Gla proteins, scientists learned that vitamin K is needed for many other important processes in the body and is not only important for blood clotting. The Gla protein osteocalcin contained in bones is responsible for storing calcium in the bones. The Gla protein in the artery walls is called matrix Gla protein and prevents calcium from being deposited in the arteries. Such calcium deposits contribute to calcification of the arteries and are a clear sign of possible heart disease.
An evaluation of controlled studies showed that taking vitamin K2 as MK-4 can significantly reduce the risk of bone fractures.
High-quality controlled studies have shown that both vitamin K1 supplements and vitamin K2 (especially MK-7) can improve various parameters for a healthy heart. Nevertheless, several observational studies suggest that K2 is more effective than K1 in reducing calcium deposits and thus lowering the risk of heart disease.
Anticoagulants (coumarin) impair the formation of a protein that is necessary for blood clotting.
Some antibiotics cause the body to produce less vitamin K; others impair the effectiveness of the vitamin in the body.
Patients suffering from the following diseases are particularly affected by fat absorption disorders, which can lead to a vitamin K deficiency:
Vitamin K is not water-soluble and can therefore only be absorbed together with fat in the small intestine. In fat absorption disorders, the digestion and absorption of dietary fats is impaired. Patients suffering from diseases associated with fat absorption disorders often develop deficiency symptoms of fat-soluble vitamins, including vitamin K.
The absorption of vitamin K from the small intestine is dependent on normal fat digestion. During digestion, food containing vitamin K and fats enters the small intestine; the pancreas and gallbladder release digestive enzymes and bile respectively. The bile emulsifies dietary fats and fat-soluble vitamins and breaks up large fat globules into tiny droplets that remain dispersed in the water-based food slurry in the intestine. This process is similar to mixing vinegar and oil to make a salad dressing. If you shake both liquids, the oil breaks down into small droplets and mixes with the vinegar. Enzymes from the pancreas bind to these fat droplets and digest them into tiny fat molecules that can be absorbed by the intestinal cells. Insufficient release of bile or fat-digesting enzymes leads to incomplete fat digestion. As a result, dietary fats and fat-soluble vitamins are only incompletely absorbed. Severe liver, gallbladder or pancreatic diseases can lead to fat absorption disorders and consequently cause a deficiency of vitamins K, A, D and E.
Sometimes, however, the cause is not a disorder of fat digestion, but damage to the intestinal cells. This is the case, for example, with inflammatory diseases such as Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis or coeliac disease. The surgical removal of a large part of the small intestine and certain surgical procedures to reduce weight can also impair the absorption of dietary fats and fat-soluble vitamins.
A vitamin K deficiency caused by fat resorption disorders requires a two-pronged treatment. In the short term, the doctor will probably prescribe a vitamin K preparation to correct the deficiency and restore normal blood clotting. In addition, it is necessary to treat the underlying fat absorption disorder. The treatment plan depends on the cause of this digestive disorder. A chronic fat absorption disorder may require the use of vitamin K supplements indefinitely.
Newborn babies are particularly at risk of vitamin K deficiency for various reasons:
Bleeding due to a vitamin K deficiency occurs when the vitamin K level in the blood is too low so that the blood does not clot. This can result in internal or external bleeding. Internal bleeding in particular is dangerous, especially because it sometimes goes unnoticed for a long time. A newborn suffering from this type of bleeding often bleeds into the intestines or the brain. This can lead to brain damage or even death. Newborns who do not receive vitamin K after birth can develop such bleeding within the first six months of life. Depending on the age of the infant, there are three different types: early, classic and late bleeding.
Early and classic bleeding due to vitamin K deficiency occurs more frequently. Between 1 in 60 and 1 in 250 newborns are affected. There is a higher risk for babies whose mothers took certain medications during pregnancy.
Late bleeding is less common: only one in 14,000 to one in 25,000 babies are affected.
The good news, however, is that such bleeding can be avoided if the baby receives a vitamin K injection into the thigh muscle after birth. A single injection immediately after birth protects your baby from this treacherous bleeding.
The main symptom of a vitamin K deficiency is excessive bleeding. Remember: bleeding does not have to be due to a cut or wound. Bleeding can also occur if
Doctors look out for these signs of vitamin K deficiency in babies:
For a reliable diagnosis, the doctor needs the patient's medical history in order to find out about possible risk factors.
A blood coagulation test may be carried out to determine the prothrombin time. A small amount of blood is taken from the patient with a small needle. This is then mixed with chemical substances and the time until clotting is measured.
If the clotting time is longer than 13.5 seconds, a vitamin K deficiency is suspected.
Scientists suspect that a vitamin K deficiency leads to an impairment of the activation of the bone matrix protein osteocalcin and causes a reduction in osteoblast function. This impairs bone formation. It can also lead to heart disease, tooth decay and cancer.
Vitamin K was discovered many decades ago. However, the vitamin K requirement is still only based on the amounts required for healthy blood clotting - and not on the optimum amount required to maintain healthy bones and arteries.
The recommendations of the German Nutrition Society are 60 - 65 µg of vitamin K per day for women and 70 - 80 µg for men. However, these are only estimates. No distinction is made between vitamin K1 and vitamin K2. However, nutrition experts recommend a significantly higher dose of 120 - 200 µg of vitamin K2 in order to achieve sufficient effectiveness and to be able to exploit the health benefits.
To date, there have been no reports of problems due to excessive levels of natural forms of vitamin K (K1 and K2). These forms are characterized by low toxicity even in high concentrations.
Most people do not experience any side effects at all when taking vitamin K daily at the recommended dose. Some people experience stomach problems and diarrhea.
Due to potential side effects and interactions with other medications, you should only take food supplements under medical supervision.
If you are currently being treated with one of the following medications, you should not take vitamin K without first consulting your doctor.
Antibiotics: Antibiotics, especially cephalosporins, reduce the absorption of vitamin K in the body. If taken for more than ten days, they reduce vitamin K levels. This is because not only harmful bacteria, but also bacteria that produce vitamin K are killed off. People with an already low vitamin K level, such as malnourished people, the elderly or patients taking warfarin (Coumarin), are at even greater risk.
Phenytoin (Dilantin): Phenytoin impairs the body's ability to use vitamin K. Taking anticonvulsants (such as phenytoin) during pregnancy or breastfeeding can lower the unborn child's vitamin K level.
Warfarin (Coumarin): Vitamin K blocks the effect of the blood thinner warfarin. You should therefore not take any vitamin K supplements or foods rich in vitamin K if your doctor has prescribed warfarin. Be sure to discuss with your doctor which dietary requirements you should follow.
Orlistat (Xenical, Alli) and Olestra: Orlistat is a weight loss medication. Olestra is added to some foods and lowers the amount of fat that the body can absorb. Since vitamin K is a fat-soluble vitamin, these drugs can also lower vitamin K levels. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration now requires that foods to which Olestra has been added also be fortified with vitamin K and other fat-soluble vitamins (A, D and E). Doctors who prescribe orlistat to their patients usually recommend taking a multivitamin with these vitamins. If you are not allowed to take vitamin K, you should never eat foods containing olestra.
Cholesterol-lowering drugs: Bile acid complexes, which are used to lower cholesterol levels, also reduce the amount of fat your body absorbs and can also reduce the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins.
Vitamin K1 is formed in plants. It is the primary form that humans absorb through food.
The following is a list of foods rich in vitamin K. The value given corresponds to the amount of vitamin K1 in a cup (250 g capacity) of cooked vegetables.
Vitamin K2 is contained in various foods. The content depends on the respective form of the vitamin.
MK-4 is contained in some animal products. This is the only form that is not produced by bacteria. Chicken, egg yolk and butter are good sources of MK-4.
MK-5 to MK-15 are the forms of vitamin K2 that have longer side chains. They are formed by bacteria and are often found in fermented foods.
Nattō, a popular Japanese dish made from fermented soybeans, contains particularly high levels of MK-7.
Certain hard and soft cheeses are also good sources of vitamin K2 in the form of MK-8 and MK-9. A recent study found that many pork products contain vitamin K2 in the form of MK-10 and MK-11.
The following is a list of various foods that contain vitamin K2. The amount indicated refers to 100 g.
As already mentioned, there are many different forms of vitamin K2. MK-7 is one of them and is generally considered to be particularly effective.
Vitamin D is a very important nutrient for our health: the best way to meet our needs is with sunlight.
However, many people take vitamin D orally. This can lead to problems unless you make sure you have a sufficient intake of vitamin K2 at the same time.
Vitamin D and K2 work hand in hand to form and activate the matrix Gla protein (MGP). This is an important protein that is found around the elastic fibers of the inner walls of the arteries. MGP prevents the formation of calcium crystals, which can lead to arteriosclerosis. The current medical recommendation is that vitamin D and K2 together can slow down the progression of arteriosclerosis. Vitamin D on its own cannot do this.
Professor Cees Vermeer is one of the leading K2 researchers and reports on this mechanism:
"The only mechanism by which arteries can protect themselves from calcification is by means of the vitamin K-dependent protein MGP. MGP is the most potent inhibitor of soft tissue calcification currently known. The vitamin K levels of healthy adults who do not take additional vitamin K are too low, so that 30 percent of their MGP is synthesized in an inactive form."
Vitamin K2 and vitamin D have a finely balanced relationship with each other. We need both vitamins in sufficient quantities for optimal health. This has been confirmed once again in a new study...
The study was designed to compare the effect of oral vitamin K2 (MK-7) plus vitamin D or vitamin D alone on the progression of coronary artery calcifications and intima-media thickness of the carotid artery (the lining of the main arteries in your neck that carry blood to the brain). Such calcifications are hallmarks of potentially fatal heart disease and strokes.
The data showed slower progression of calcification in patients who took both vitamin K2 and vitamin D compared to those who took vitamin D alone. The lead author of the study writes:
"In this study, K2 and D were able to protect against cardiovascular calcification (calcification of the heart vessels). This could not be confirmed in the vitamin D group. This certainly has positive effects for human health."
These results are clear: vitamin D improves bone development by helping the body to absorb calcium. New evidence shows that vitamin K2 channels calcium directly into the bone apparatus and at the same time prevents it from being deposited where it does not belong, for example in the organs, joint spaces and arteries. A large proportion of arterial deposits consist of calcium (arteriosclerosis), which leads to hardening of the arteries.
In addition, arteriosclerosis can progress over many years, even decades, without symptoms. The opening of the artery (lumen), which is formed by the arterial lining, is still elastic enough to stretch and, to a certain extent, accommodate accumulating deposits.
Of course, only if the arteries have not yet begun to calcify. The formation of a calcified fibrous cap on the arterial calcium deposits prevents further expansion of the lumen, which could compensate for further deposits, and is therefore the last, sometimes fatal step in the course of this fatal disease.
It is also known that vitamin K2 activates a protein hormone produced by osteoblasts called osteocalcin, which is needed to bind calcium in the bone matrix. Osteocalcin also appears to protect against calcium deposits in the arteries.
In other words, without vitamin K2, the calcium that vitamin D lets in so effectively works AGAINST you - by being deposited in the heart vessels and not in the bones.
Probiotics help with the digestion and utilization of vitamin K. These also ensure that good intestinal bacteria colonize the intestines, which produce vitamin K.
The best source of probiotics are fermented foods and drinks. These so-called superfoods build a healthy ecosystem in the body and strengthen the immune system. In addition to the outstanding benefits for your inner body, there are also benefits for your appearance.
Here are some delicious fermented foods and drinks that are high in vitamin K and make a valuable contribution to strengthening your immune system, improving digestion and keeping you looking young:
Also promote the growth of probiotics in your gut by eating prebiotic foods such as asparagus, onions, garlic or leeks.
Taking probiotic supplements can also increase the number of healthy bacteria.
The combination of prebiotics and probiotics (= synbiotics), as found in fermented foods and drinks, has a positive effect on your health. For this reason, these foods and drinks are particularly emphasized in the Body Ecology diet.
There are so many reasons to enjoy fermented foods and drinks. Make them part of your daily diet and let your healthy microflora work for you and produce lots of vitamin K.
Osteoporosis is a bone disease in which bone density decreases and the body stops forming bone to the same extent as before. As a result, the bones become weak. The risk of fractures due to falls or even relatively minor impacts is increased.
Both men and women are affected by the disease. However, it often occurs in women after the menopause. The reason for this is the sudden drop in oestrogen. This hormone normally protects against osteoporosis.
Bone tissue is constantly being formed; new bone replaces old, injured bone. In this way, the body maintains bone density and the integrity of the crystals and bone structure.
Bone density peaks in the late 20s and gradually decreases from the age of 35. With increasing age, more bone tissue is lost than built up. If this happens on a large scale, osteoporosis occurs.
Osteoporosis means "porous bone". Under the microscope, a healthy bone looks like a honeycomb. In the case of osteoporosis, the holes and spaces in this honeycomb structure are much larger than in a healthy bone. Osteoporous bones have lost their density or mass and contain unnatural tissue structures. As soon as the bone density decreases, the bone loses strength, becomes weak and breaks more easily.
Since its discovery in 1929, vitamin K has been known primarily for its essential properties in relation to blood clotting. But since then, scientists have found convincing evidence that vitamin K plays a similarly important role in relation to healthy bones.
Sufficient vitamin K is needed to activate the Gla protein osteocalcin, which binds bone minerals tightly together to form strong bones. Without sufficient vitamin K, bones cannot retain vital calcium, which leads to osteoporosis. But it gets worse: the calcium that is not bound in the bones finds another way and enters the bloodstream. There it contributes to hardening of the arteries.
Fortunately, vitamin K supplements are an effective means of protecting the bones from osteoporosis.
Some studies even suggest that taking high doses of vitamin K can stop bone loss in patients with osteoporosis.
People who live in the regions of Japan where nattō is particularly common in the diet have blood levels of vitamin K2 (MK-7) that are many times higher than the average. They also suffer less frequently from osteoporosis and bone fractures.
These observations have been confirmed by clinical studies. Taking vitamin K2 can successfully reduce the incidence of bone fractures. In a two-year Japanese study involving 120 subjects with osteoporosis, the frequency of vertebral fractures was reduced by 52 percent in the treatment group (vitamin K2 in the form of MK-4). The control group had not taken any vitamin and showed no improvement. In this study - as in almost all studies dealing with the effect of K2 on bone density - a very high dose of 45 mg/day was administered. In Japan, this dose is prescribed for the treatment of osteoporosis, but it is not available in the USA. However, as you will learn below, even lower doses of K2 as a dietary supplement have positive effects on your health.
With increasing age, calcium, which is supposed to strengthen our bones, also appears in other parts of the body. This includes, for example, the inner walls of the arteries. Over time, normal smooth muscle cells in artery walls transform into bone-like cells due to the deposition of calcium; entire sections of arteries are essentially transformed into bone tissue that is not elastic or flexible and unable to effectively regulate blood flow. This process leads to hardening of the arteries, which we know as the advanced stage of arteriosclerosis.
Vitamin K2 can protect against arteriosclerosis as it activates a number of proteins whose job it is to bind calcium in the bones so that it cannot be deposited in the arteries.
In the bones, K2 activates a protein called osteocalcin. Activated osteocalcin binds calcium firmly to the bone minerals and thus forms strong bones. In arteries, K2 activates a protein called matrix Gla protein. Activated matrix Gla proteins prevent calcium from being deposited in the arteries.
Without sufficient vitamin K2, these proteins cannot be activated. As a result, there is a higher risk of osteoporosis and arteriosclerosis due to the loss of calcium in the bones.
A new study has provided scientists with convincing evidence that vitamin K2 can reduce the progression of arteriosclerosis, a blockage of the arteries that can lead to heart attacks and strokes.
Scientists recognized a long time ago that vitamin K2 plays a crucial role in activating proteins that keep calcium in the areas of the body where it belongs, namely in the bones, and not in blood vessels where it can cause problems.
Published data shows that people with a higher intake of vitamin K2 have a 57 percent lower risk of dying from cardiovascular disease and an 81 percent lower risk of non-vertebral fractures.
At this point, we will review the findings of an important new study on atherosclerosis. We will then discuss previous findings that explain how vitamin K2 contributes to both cardiovascular and bone health in aging adults.
Numerous studies have shown that people with a higher intake of vitamin K2 have a lower risk of cardiovascular disease.
Polish scientists from the Medical University in Lodz were intrigued by this compound and teamed up with researchers from Maastricht University in the Netherlands and the International Foundation for Science and Health in Poland to determine whether additional intake of vitamin K2 can reduce the progression of existing arteriosclerosis. The scientists studied the progression of atherosclerosis in 42 patients with chronic kidney disease. These patients were ideal for this type of study as they are known to experience a rapid reduction in bone mineral density (a measure of bone strength) as a result of calcium loss from bone. They also suffer from excessive calcium deposition in tissues where it does not belong - particularly along the inner walls of major arteries - due to their pre-existing disease.
As part of the study, the test subjects were divided into two groups. One group received vitamin K2 (90 mcg per day) and vitamin D3 (400 IU per day). The second group received only vitamin D3 (400 IU per day).
After just nine months, it was shown that the test subjects who took both vitamin K2 and D3 exhibited slower progression of the internal media thickness (inner vessel wall) of the carotid artery. This parameter is a good indicator of the progression of arteriosclerosis and provides indications of cardiovascular events and premature death. In particular, the thickness of the carotid artery increased by 13.73 percent in the group taking vitamin D3, but only by 6.32 percent in the group taking both vitamins. It should be borne in mind that the test subjects were already at greater risk of increased internal medial thickness as a result of calcium loss in the bones.
In addition, the test subjects who took both vitamins recorded the greatest reduction in the carotid calcification parameter of all participants - with the exception of those who had the highest values at the beginning. This shows that the calcium remained in the bones, i.e. where it belongs, and did not continue to accumulate in the arteries.
These results clearly show that vitamin K2 can halt the progression of arteriosclerosis.
Diabetes mellitus (also known as "diabetes") is a condition in which the body cannot utilize glucose (a type of sugar) normally. Glucose is the main source of energy for the body. The level of glucose in the blood is controlled by a hormone called insulin, which is produced in the pancreas. Insulin allows glucose to enter the cells.
In the case of diabetes, either too little insulin is produced in the pancreas (type 1) or the body does not react to the insulin produced as intended (type 2). As a result, the glucose level in the blood rises and leads to symptoms such as a stronger urge to urinate, unusually strong thirst or unexplained weight loss.
Type 2 diabetes increases the risk of bone fractures. This is probably due to the incomplete activation of the Gla protein osteocalcin (due to a lack of vitamin K). This also reduces the calcium content in the bones. Conversely, people with the highest vitamin K1 intake have the lowest levels of inflammatory markers associated with diabetes. However, vitamin K also has a direct effect on diabetes.
Scientists investigated the effects that bone cells have on energy balance and found that osteocalcin plays a crucial role in regulating insulin activity.
Several human studies have confirmed the role of vitamin K supplements in improving insulin sensitivity and glucose tolerance, preventing insulin resistance and reducing the risk of type 2 diabetes.
In addition to lowering the risk of diabetes, vitamin K also reduced the effects of diabetes.
Cancer can develop anywhere in the body. Cells get out of control and displace healthy cells. Body processes can then no longer run as normal. There are many different types of cancer. It is not just one disease. Cancer can spread from the lungs, the breast, the colon or even from the blood. The different types of cancer have certain things in common, but they differ in the way they grow and spread.
All cells in our body fulfill very specific tasks. Normal cells divide in an orderly manner. They die as soon as they are "used up" or damaged and are replaced by new cells. We speak of cancer when cells get out of control. The cancer continues to grow and produces new cells. These gradually replace normal cells. This causes problems in the corresponding region of the body.
However, cancer can also spread to other areas of the body. For example, lung cancer cells migrate to the bones and continue to grow there. This spread of the cancer to other parts of the body is known as metastasis.
Test series show that vitamin K can reduce the risk of prostate, colon and stomach cancer, as well as cancer of the mouth and nose. In one study, high doses of vitamin K even helped patients with liver cancer and improved liver function.
Studies show that vitamin K2 (menaquinone) safely inhibits the growth and invasion of hepatocellular carcinoma in humans, a common and deadly form of liver cancer. The vitamin affects these tumors in many ways. For example, it alters growth factors and their receptor molecules so that they are less able to stimulate tumor growth and progression. This leads to a freezing of the cell cycle; further cell division is blocked. And it triggers programmed cell death through apoptosis. This occurs through several different mechanisms.
Laboratory studies show enormous potential for vitamin K to influence the progression of other cancers as well. Vitamin K2 stimulates certain types of human leukemia cells to differentiate or become normal white blood cells. In cells of certain brain tumors, gastric cancer and colon cancer, vitamin K stops the reproductive cell cycle and induces apoptosis (programmed cell death). Vitamin K also triggers a DNA-degrading protein that cancer cells normally suppress. This prevents tumor cells from effectively repairing themselves.
Vitamin K has shown its potential in the treatment of a variety of advanced tumors in vitro and in animal studies. Its benefit has been demonstrated in lung cancer in combination with traditional chemotherapy, but not in gastrointestinal cancers. Previous studies have shown that even very high doses of vitamin K2, up to more than 2.5 grams intravenously daily, were safe and did not increase chemotherapy toxicity.
The successful combination of vitamin K2 with vitamin D3 resulted in good differentiation in a laboratory study with leukemia cells. The study attempted to prove that this could be an effective therapy for both MDS and fully developed leukemia. In 2010, a clinical trial demonstrated that the addition of vitamin D3 to vitamin K2 supplements more than doubled the response rate of MDS patients with refractory anemia and low white blood cell counts from 13 percent to 30 percent.
Sources (in English):
Kurnatowska, I., Grzelak, P., Masajtis-Zagajewska, A., Kaczmarska, M., Stefańczyk, L., Vermeer, C. et al. (2015). Effect of vitamin K2 on progression of atherosclerosis and vascular calcification in nondialyzed patients with chronic kidney disease stages 3-5. Polskie Archiwum Medycyny Wewnetrznej, 125(9):631-40
Beulens, J. W., Bots, M. L., Atsma, F., Bartelink, M. L., Prokop, M., Geleijnse, J. M. et al. (2009, April). High dietary menaquinone intake is associated with reduced coronary calcification. Atherosclerosis, 203(2):489-93, doi: 10.1016/j.atherosclerosis.2008.07.010
Shibayama-Imazu, T., Aiuchi, T. & Nakaya, K. (2008). Vitamin K2-mediated apoptosis in cancer cells: role of mitochondrial transmembrane potential. Vitamins and Hormones, 78:211-26, doi: 10.1016/S0083-6729(07)00010-6.
Schurgers, L. J., Shearer, M. J., Hamulyák, K., Stöcklin, E. & Vermeer, C. (2004, November). Effect of vitamin K intake on the stability of oral anticoagulant treatment: dose-response relationships in healthy subjects. Blood, 104(9):2682-9, doi: 10.1182/blood-2004-04-1525
Braam, L. A., Hoeks, A. P., Brouns, F., Hamulyák, K., Gerichhausen, M. J. & Vermeer, C. (2004, February). Beneficial effects of vitamins D and K on the elastic properties of the vessel wall in postmenopausal women: a follow-up study. Thrombosis and Haemostasis, 91(2):373-80, doi: 10.1160/TH03-07-0423
Geleijnse, J. M., Vermeer, C., Grobbee, D. E., Schurgers, L. J., Knapen, M. H., van der Meer, I. M. et al. (2004, November). Dietary intake of menaquinone is associated with a reduced risk of coronary heart disease: the Rotterdam Study. The Journal of Nutrition, 134(11):3100-5
Conly, J. M. & Stein, K. (1992, October-November). The production of menaquinones (vitamin K2) by intestinal bacteria and their role in maintaining coagulation homeostasis. Progress in Food & Nutrition Science, 16(4):307-43
Willems, B. A., Vermeer, C., Reutelingsperger, C. P. & Schurgers, L. J. (2014, August). The realm of vitamin K dependent proteins: shifting from coagulation toward calcification. Molecular Nutrition & Food Research, 58(8):1620-35, doi: 10.1002/mnfr.201300743
Theuwissen, E., Smit, E. & Vermeer, C. (2012, March). The role of vitamin K in soft-tissue calcification. Advances in Nutrition, 3(2):166-73, doi: 10.3945/an.111.001628
Dam, V., Dalmeijer, G. W., Vermeer, C., Drummen, N. E., Knapen, M. H., Van der Schouw, Y. T. et al. (2015, June). Association Between Vitamin K and the Metabolic Syndrome: A 10-Year Follow-Up Study in Adults. The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, 100(6):2472-9, doi: 10.1210/jc.2014-4449
Vitamin D3 drops and vitamin K2 capsules in a combination set for your immune system
Vitamin K2 protects against arteriosclerosis.
Our multivitamin capsules are your daily companion for improved heart health, a strengthened immune system and more mental vitality.