Articles by Dr. Erdman are for informational purposes, and are not to be taken as specific medical advice.
Over the last few years I’ve written many articles on the
importance of vitamin D. It is absolutely essential to have optimum vitamin D
levels.
But, lately I have been reading about another vitamin that
seems to be on par with vitamin D in necessity for preventing disease.
Traditional medicine seems completely uninterested in actually preventing
disease from occurring. They are solely focused on testing, procedures and
prescribing drugs for existing disease. They want a diagnosis instead of taking
care of people who may not have a disease, yet are not healthy and well.
This week we will focus on vitamin K2 and its two main
functions of cardiovascular health and bone restoration. Many times when
vitamin K is mentioned it is part of a conversation about blood thinning
medication. There are two types of vitamin K, they are K1 and K2.
Vitamin K1 is a fat soluble vitamin found in green leafy
vegetables, and it is involved in blood coagulation for stopping bleeding. This
is the one indicated to avoid when taking blood thinning medicines as it tends
to antagonize their effects. It is
theoretically possible to overdose vitamin K1, though I’ve never come across it
myself.
K2 on the other hand is a whole different compound. It is
produced by bacteria in fermented foods such as Natto, a fermented soy product,
fermented vegetables that use vitamin K producing bacteria, certain cheeses
like Brie and Gouda, and in grass fed organic animal products such as egg
yolks, butter and dairy.
If you are not regularly eating these types of foods, you
are most likely deficient in vitamin K2. There are no commercially available
tests for K2, so we can only look at lifestyle factors that predispose you to
deficiency. If you have osteoporosis, heart disease or diabetes, you are most
likely deficient in K2.
The functions of K2 are very specific, yet have whole body
health effects. K2 is involved in two specific enzymes: matrix glutamic acid
protein (MGP) and osteocalcin.
MGP is imported into the cells in the walls of your arteries
where it binds to calcium, removing it from the linings of your arteries. Ever
heard of hardening of the arteries? K2 prevents that from happening.
Once calcium is pulled from the vessel walls, where it
doesn’t belong, K2 then facilitates infusion of that calcium into your bones,
using osteocalcin to cement it into the bone matrix.
Dr. Dennis Goodman, who wrote the book “Vitamin K2: The
Missing Nutrient for Heart and Bone Health,” explains it by saying “Vitamin K2
is like a light switch – it switches MGP and osteocalcin on, which takes
calcium out of the arterial wall and keeps it in the bone…You’ve got to get K2
when you get your vitamin D3, calcium and magnesium. We need K2 to make sure
calcium is going where it’s supposed to go.”
Two very recent studies suggest that statin drugs increase
calcification of the arteries and at the same time deplete K2. That is a bad
combination for the 1 in 4 Americans over 40 taking a statin drug.
Complicating things further is that there are two primary
forms of K2; MK-4 and MK-7. MK-4 products are a synthetic K2, which you do not
want to use. MK-7 is a long chain naturally derived K2 from a fermentation
process. This type also helps prevent inflammation by inhibiting
pro-inflammatory markers in the blood called monocytes.
Dr. Goodman suggests a dose of 180 mcg per day in the form
of MK-7.
Most of us have been taught that vitamins A, D, and K are
fat soluble, and therefore can be over used. K2 is nontoxic in any dose, so
there are no worries about overdosing. But, remember it is still a fat soluble
vitamin, so take it with food that has fat in it so it is absorbed properly.
Unfortunately, K2 deficiency does not produce any outwardly
visible signs and, conversely, doesn’t show you any visible signs of
improvement. Don’t let that stop you from using K2, it is essential to your
good health.