Vitamin K: The Vital Nutrient You’ve Probably Never Heard Of

When it comes to vitamins, we all know about the “big boys”—vitamin C, the B group, and vitamin E. But have you heard about vitamin K? Many people haven’t, but it plays a vital role in blood clotting, heart health, and calcium metabolism.

Before we get into it, let’s start with a quick history lesson. The first official record of vitamin K was in 1929 when it was mentioned in a German scientific journal. Due to its newly discovered role in blood clotting, it was called “koagulation vitamin”. Today, however, we’ve realised that vitamin K can do a lot more and that there are two different types. Vitamin K1 is found in leafy green plants like kale, and vitamin K2 is found in animal sources and fermented foods like kimchi.

Why Do I Need Vitamin K?

Vitamin K2 is the most important of the two K vitamins for our health. Clotting aside, its benefits include promoting the growth of strong, healthy bones and teeth as well as preventing vascular calcification. The latter is when calcium builds upon the inner lining of our blood vessels. This can increase your risk of blood clots and strokes, so it’s something to be concerned about.

The great thing about K2’s calcification prevention abilities is that they’ve proven to be potent. A study performed by the Erasmus Medical Centre in the Netherlands found that participants with a high intake of vitamin K2 were 52% less likely to develop artery calcification. Interestingly, those consuming K1 didn’t see any benefits.

As far as bone strength is concerned, vitamin K2 deserves as much attention as spotlight-hogging calcium. Studies have shown that taking vitamin K2 has reduced the occurrence of spinal fractures by 60% and hip fractures by up to a whopping 77%!

How To Get It

You can get vitamin K1 and K2 from your diet, although most people get about ten times as much K1 as K2, which isn’t ideal, as K2 is the one you want. Still, your body can convert the K1 you consume into K2. This is good, but often not good enough. In most people, the conversion process is inefficient, so consuming K2 directly is the way to go.

Good food sources of K2 include egg yolks, liver, organ meat, and dairy products from grass-fed cows. Still, the vitamin is fat-soluble, so you also need to eat enough fats to absorb it. Plant-based sources of K2 include fermented food such as natto, sauerkraut, kimchi and miso. Because these aren’t particularly popular in Western culture, many vegans and vegetarians are deficient in K2.

Happily, there’s an easy way to ensure you’re getting enough of what you need, and that’s via a supplement. This way, you can ensure you hit your daily target of K2 without having to reach for a tub of kimchi or a jar of sauerkraut every day. Easy, clever and effective!