This vitamin is rare in the Western diet and has not received much attention in the rule.
However ... This powerful nutrient plays an important role in many aspects of health.
In fact, vitamin K2, the "missing link" between the regime and several fatal diseases.
What is Vitamin K?
Vitamin K in 1929 as an important nutrient for blood clotting discovered ( blood clotting [1] ).
The initial discovery was reported in a German magazine, where it was called Koagulationsvitamin. This is where the "K" comes from ( 1 ).
It was also discovered by legendary dentist Weston Price [2] that the world has traveled in the 20th century, the study of the relationship between diet and disease in different population groups.
He found that non-industrial diets were high in some unidentified nutrients that seemed to offer protection against caries and chronic diseases.
He referred to this mystery nutrient as Activator X [3] , but this is now believed to be vitamin K2 have.
There are two main forms of vitamin K ... K1 (phylloquinone) is found in plant foods such as green leafy vegetables, while vitamin K2 (menaquinone) found in animal foods and fermented foods ( 2 ).
Vitamin K2 can be divided into different types, but the most important are the MK-4 and MK-seventh
Conclusion: Vitamin K was discovered as a nutrient in the blood clotting involved. There are two forms, K1 (plants) and K2 (performance).
As K1 and K2 vitamins work?
Calcium [4] is a very important mineral.
It's more than building material for bones and teeth, which play an essential role in a variety of biological processes (makes 3 ).
The major function of vitamin K is the modification of proteins, to the ability to bind calcium to give them.
Thus, "active", the calcium binding properties of the proteins.
However ... the role of vitamin K1 and K2 are very different, and many believe they are treated as completely separate nutrients.
Vitamin K1 is used mainly in the liver, to the calcium binding protein involved in the blood coagulation, while K2 is used for the proteins, regulation of calcium in the body of the case is enabled (enable 4 ).
Conclusion: The main function of vitamin K is to activate the properties of the calcium-binding proteins. K1 is often involved in blood clotting, while K2 is used to regulate the calcium in the body ends.
Vitamin K2 can help prevent heart disease
The calcium deposits in the arteries around the heart a big risk factor [5] for heart disease ( 5 , 6 , 7 ).
Therefore, anything that can reduce the accumulation of calcium prevent heart disease.
Here, where it is assumed to help vitamin K2 so as to prevent the calcium is deposited in the arteries, ( 8 ).
In the Rotterdam Study, who were with the highest intake of vitamin K2 52% less likely to develop hardening of the arteries, and had a 57% lower risk of dying from heart disease over a period of 7 -10 years ( 9 ).
Another study of 16,057 women found that those participants who had consumed the most vitamin K2 a much lower risk of heart disease. For every 10 micrograms per day consumed K2 is the risk of heart disease by 9% (reduced 10 ).
For the record, vitamin K1 had no effect on any of these studies.
However ... note that previous studies are called observational studies can not prove cause and effect.
Unfortunately, only a few controlled studies [6] have who have done the K1 form, which seems to be ineffective (used 11 ).
We are controlled studies in desperate need of some long-term on K2 and heart disease. This is a plausible biological mechanism for its effectiveness and strong correlations found in observational studies.
The importance can not be overstated this ... Cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of death worldwide. He killed 14 million people in 2012 ( 12 ).
Conclusion: A high intake of vitamin K2 is strongly associated with a lower risk of heart disease. Vitamin K1 is less useful.
Vitamin K2 may help bone health and the risk of osteoporosis
Osteoporosis [7] (porous bones "") is a common problem in Western countries.
It is particularly common in older women and greatly increased risk of fracture.
As already mentioned, vitamin K2 plays a central role in the metabolism of calcium, the main mineral bone found.
Vitamin K2 activates calcium-binding activity of two proteins called matrix Gla protein [8] and osteocalcin [9] , to help build and maintain bone ( 13 , 14 ).
Interestingly, there is also some evidence from controlled studies, the K2 has important benefits for bone health studies.
A 3-year study of 244 postmenopausal women found that those who took vitamin K2 have much slower decline in bone density with age (connected experiences 15 ).
Long study in Japanese women showed similar benefits, even if they use very high doses. Of the 13 experiments, only one showed a significant improvement.
Seven of these studies reported also found fractures and that vitamin K2 reduced vertebral fractures by 60%, hip fractures by 77% and all non-spine fractures 81% ( 16 ).
According to these results, the Japanese officially recommended supplementation of vitamin K for the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis ( 17 ).
However, some researchers are not convinced. Found two important evaluation studies that there is no sufficient evidence to vitamin K supplementation for this purpose recommend (tests 18 , 19 ).
Conclusion: Vitamin K2 plays an important role in bone metabolism and studies suggest it can help to prevent osteoporosis and bone fractures.
Vitamin K2 can improve dental health
Researchers suggest that vitamin K2 may affect dental health.
However, no human studies have directly tested this.
Based on animal studies and the role of vitamin K2 on bone metabolism, it is reasonable that their impact on the health of the teeth than to take over.
An important regulatory proteins osteocalcin dental health is the same protein [10] , which is responsible for bone metabolism and vitamin K2 is activated ( 20 ).
Osteocalcin triggers a mechanism which the growth of new dentin tissue (calcified excited in the enamel of the teeth 21 , 22 ).
Vitamin A and D are probably also play an important role synergistically with vitamin K2 (Work 23 ).
Conclusion: It is believed that vitamin K2 may play a crucial role in dental health, but there are no human studies to support this.
Vitamin K2 can help fight cancer
Cancer is a common cause of death in Western countries.
While modern medicine has many options for treatment are found, new cases of cancer are increased.
Therefore, the search for effective prevention strategies in the foreground.
Interestingly, several studies on vitamin K2 and certain cancers have performed.
Two clinical studies have suggested that vitamin K2 reduced the recurrence of liver cancer and increase the survival time ( 24 , 25 ).
An observational study of 11 000 men also found that high vitamin K2 has been linked to reduced risk of advanced prostate cancer by 63%. Vitamin K1 had no effect ( 26 ).
I hope we have the best studies on this topic in the near future.
Conclusion: Vitamin K2 has been found that improve the survival of patients with liver cancer. Men who consume most K2 have a lower risk of advanced prostate cancer.
Foods rich in vitamin K2
People can be part of vitamin K1 in the body K2. This is useful because the amount of vitamin K1 in a typical diet is ten times greater than that of Vitamin K2.
Nevertheless, recent data show that the conversion process is inefficient because we eat more vitamin K2 directly.
Vitamin K2 is produced by intestinal bacteria in the colon and no evidence of broad-spectrum antibiotics can to failure of K2 (contributing 27 , 28 ).
Unfortunately, the average intake of this important nutrient in the modern diet is incredibly low.
Vitamin K2 is mainly in animal foods and fermented foods, found that most people do not overeat.
Rich are rich in animal fat dairy products [11] products from grass fed, liver and other organs of cows and egg yolk ( 29 ).
Vitamin K is fat soluble, which means low fat and lean [12] Animal products contain not much of it.
Animal foods contain MK-4 subtype, while fermented foods such as sauerkraut, natto and miso contain multiple subtypes addition, MK-5 and MK-14 ( 30 ).
If these foods are not accessible to you, so supplementation is a viable alternative.
The full benefits of K2 can be further improved when combined with vitamin D [13] to complete, since both vitamins have synergistic effects ( 31 ).
If you are interested, then there is a good selection of vitamin K2 on Amazon [14] .
I ate a lot of grass-fed dairy products [15] and eggs [16] myself, but also took a K2 supplement daily.
Although this should be examined current research on vitamin K2 and health is very promising.
You have to save impact on many people.
Credentials
- ^ clotting (en.wikipedia.org)
- ^ Weston Price (en.wikipedia.org)
- ^ X activator (www.westonaprice.org)
- ^ calcium (en.wikipedia.org)
- ^ risk factor (www.docsopinion.com)
- ^ controlled trials (en.wikipedia.org)
- ^ osteoporosis (en.wikipedia.org)
- ^ matrix Gla protein (en.wikipedia.org)
- ^ osteocalcin (en.wikipedia.org)
- ^ protein (authoritynutrition.com)
- ^ Dairy (authoritynutrition.com)
- ^ lean (authoritynutrition.com)
- ^ Vitamin D (authoritynutrition.com)
- ^ Amazon (www.amazon.com)
- ^ grass fed milk (authoritynutrition.com)
- ^ eggs (authoritynutrition.com)
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