Comparison vitamin K2 & K1

Vitamin K2


Menaquinone

Menaquinone-7 (MK-7) is the “new” way to supply the need for vitamin K.  It has the longest serum half life of all K-vitamins, 72 hours1. The vitamin can thus be taken sufficiently once daily in low dosages.

Menaquinone-4 (MK-4) is the K2 vitamin known from Japanese studies on bone health. In the Japanese studies doses of 45mg/day MK-4 (administered 3X pr day) have been used to observe effects on bone health.  MK-4 has a short serum half life of only 1,5 hours and must thus be administered several times daily in mg quantities to obtain effects on bone metabolism as MK-72. Studies show that a daily dose of 45 mg is recommended, a dose which is 1000 times higher than the current recommended dose for KM-73.

Vitamin K1


Phylloquinone

Vitamin K1 is the “old” way to supply vitamin K.
Vitamin K1 must, due to a serum half life of only 1,5 hours,  be administered several times daily to obtain the same concentration in blood as vitamin K2 (MK-7)1.

Presently there is no recommended dose for K1 on bone or cardiovascular health4. Studies show that very large doses of vitamin K1 are required to obtain maximal activation of the calcium-binding  protein osteocalcin in bones. Dosages must at least be in the range of 1000 mcg/day to obtain this effect5. This far exceeds the international recommended dosages for vitamins as food supplement or food fortification.

Vitamin K1 has no or little effect on heart health and vessel calcification3,6,7.

Vitamin K & Bone Health

After 30 years of age, bone mass is decreasing in men and women (figure2).

Very high doses of vitamin K2, MK-4, and vitamin K1 are needed to demonstrate effects on bone strength in postmenopausal women3.  Much lower amount of MK-7 is needed to improve bone strength8.

Figure 2: Bone mass as a function of age (from Guilliams,clarysage.com)

 

Vitamin K and Heart Health

Vitamin K2 is shown to be effective in preventing vessel calcification; the Rotterdam study