{ "id": 14146, "date": "2026-04-20T15:20:13", "date_gmt": "2026-04-20T13:20:13", "guid": { "rendered": "https:\/\/www.alivitpharm.com\/?page_id=14146" }, "modified": "2026-04-21T13:16:34", "modified_gmt": "2026-04-21T11:16:34", "slug": "vitamin-k2", "status": "publish", "type": "page", "link": "https:\/\/www.alivitpharm.com\/en\/vitamin-k2\/", "title": { "rendered": "Vitamin K2" }, "content": { "rendered": "
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Vitamin K2<\/h1>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Menaquinone MK-7<\/em><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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Vitamin K<\/strong> is a group of vitamins found in some green leafy vegetables. Vitamins K1 (phytonadione) and K2 (menaquinone) are commonly available as supplements.<\/p>

Vitamin K is an essential vitamin that the body needs for blood clotting, bone building, and other important processes. People commonly use vitamin K for blood clotting problems or to reverse the effects of warfarin when bleeding occurs. It is also used for osteoporosis, breast cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, inflammation, Alzheimer’s disease, and peripheral neuropathy. Taking vitamin K2 orally improves bone strength and reduces the risk of fractures in people with weak bones.<\/p>

Vitamin K2, also known as menaquinone (MK), is primarily of bacterial origin. K2 is found mainly in fermented foods, meat, and dairy products. K2 can also be produced by the human gut microbiome, although the absorption and transport of vitamin K2 produced in this way are less well understood.<\/p>

K2 comes primarily from animal products, which can synthesize it from the K1 they consume by eating grass. As agricultural practices have shifted animals from grass-fed pastures to grain-fed cattle, K2 levels have declined.<\/p>

Vitamin K2 is essential for bone formation, as it is required to activate proteins secreted by osteoblasts. K2 binds calcium to the bone matrix and can inhibit bone resorption when administered with vitamin D3. The menaquinone-7 form of vitamin K2 has been shown to be particularly adept at this process.<\/p>

Vitamin K2 supplementation has been associated with a significant reduction (approximately 25%-80%) in fracture risk when used alone or in combination with vitamin D3 and calcium, as well as maintenance of bone density in patients with osteoporosis. Vitamin K1 supplementation has shown relatively little benefit for these outcomes.<\/p>

A 2017 systematic review of the literature recommended considering K2 with vitamin D3 and calcium as an adjunctive osteoporosis treatment that is competitive with bisphosphonate therapy without toxicity.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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The use of vitamin K2 and the cardiovascular system<\/strong><\/p>

K2 activates matrix Gla protein (MGP), which prevents calcium deposits from forming on blood vessel walls. Studies have shown that adequate K2 intake generally frees up calcium for its more beneficial roles, while a deficiency of K2 will lead to the accumulation of calcifications.<\/p>

This simple cause-and-effect relationship was evident in the 2004 prospective population-based Rotterdam Study, which included 4,807 individuals with no history of myocardial infarction. After follow-up, researchers reported that high K2 intake was associated with a significant reduction in the risk of coronary heart disease, all-cause mortality, and severe aortic calcification compared with those with the lowest K2 intake. In contrast, K1 intake had no discernible protective benefit.<\/p>

A cohort study of over 16,000 women without cardiovascular disease also reported a strong correlation between increased K2 intake and reduced coronary events, but not for K1.<\/p>

K2 supplementation is now standard care for osteoporosis in Japan, and is also gaining attention in Western cultures.<\/p>

Studies comparing relatively low doses of MK-7 supplementation with placebo in early menopausal and postmenopausal women have yielded conflicting results, with the former showing no difference in bone loss after 1 year, while the latter showing less age-related decline in bone content and density at the femoral neck and lumbar spine after 3 years. This raises questions about the optimal range of K2 doses for different populations, the duration of follow-up needed to determine its effect, and whether supplements can provide nutrient levels as adequate as dietary intake.<\/p>

There are several reports of an increased risk of cardiovascular disease in older adults and postmenopausal women taking calcium supplements. However, this association has been questioned in other recent studies, and clinical guidelines suggest that any risk can be mitigated if calcium supplements are taken within tolerable ranges (e.g., not above the range of 2000-2500 mg\/d). As this association continues to be investigated, the possible role of K2 supplements in balancing any such risk deserves very serious clinical analysis. Certain types of K2 supplements, such as MK-7, have been shown to interfere with anticoagulation therapy, while others, such as MK-4, do not carry a risk of hypercoagulability even at relatively high doses. Therefore, physician awareness of the different properties of different K2 supplements is essential in patients taking anticoagulation therapy.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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