KEY SUPPLEMENTS #5: VITAMIN K1 AND K2- Vitamin K gets its name from the Danish spelling of the term for blood clotting (“Koagulation”) and it promotes the synthesis of several proteins that lead to the formation of fibrin, the protein that clots the blood when you get a cut. More recently Vitamin K-2 was found to play a key role in bone health. Vitamin K found in foods especially dark greens is called vitamin K1 and the Microbiome forms vitamin K-2, also known as MK-7. Warfarin or Coumadin is a commonly used blood thinner that blocks the activation of vitamin K1. Green vegetables inhibit the effects of the blood thinner which is why those foods with high Vitamin K1 ( such as asparagus or broccoli) must be avoided or eaten in constant small amounts by people taking this blood thinner. In an emergency bleed in someone on Warfarin, vitamin K is used to stop the bleeding. Vitamin K2 promotes the formation of Matrix GLA proteins (MGP) which move calcium out of blood vessel walls to bone. Vitamin D promotes MGP formation. These proteins have a modified glutamate amino acid with an added carbon group (carboxy) that binds Calcium. Vitamin K1 or Phylloquinone is a phytonutrient found in plants that we eat and is also a Prebiotic metabolized by our gut bacteria. Vitamin K2 is more easily absorbed than Vitamin K1 and is an example of a Postbiotic, a substance formed by the Microbiome which would not otherwise be in our bodies and plays an important role in metabolism. Vitamin K1 is found in multivitamins at a dose of 100 micrograms but is not sold as a dietary supplement by itself. Next time, I will discuss Folic Acid and Vitamin B12!! – So stay tuned!!!
Please subscribe to my channel and prefer to whom you wanted to see them Healthy and fit for lifetime because here you get the best guidance for the best results from the best wellness coach for lifetime.
