Get Hooked on Health with Vitamin K

Essential for blood coagulation, calcium metabolism, and bone and cardiovascular health, vitamin K is not a single vitamin, but a group of fat-soluble vitamins that are necessary for optimal health. The two main forms of vitamin K are K1 (phylloquinone) and K2 (menaquinone).

K1 was discovered in 1936 as an essential factor in blood clotting and as an anti-hemorrhagic; it is required to activate and regulate the process that is known as the “coagulation cascade,” the steps the body takes to stop bleeding through clot formation and then turn off clotting once the bleeding has stopped. Its primary function is to activate proteins to promote healthy coagulation—without vitamin K, the body cannot produce prothrombin, a protein produced in the liver that is required for blood clotting.^{1 2} K1 is found in dark, leafy greens like spinach, kale, and collard greens.

K2 has its own enormous health benefits, including reducing the risk of heart disease and cardiovascular incidents, strokes, bone fractures, certain cancers, diabetes, obesity, varicose veins, and other ailments.^{3 4} Our Western diet—dubbed the SAD diet (Standard American  Diet)—is full of processed trans fats and vegetable oils, fast food, and junk food, while being almost entirely devoid of the foods that are the best sources of vitamin K2, like organ meats, fermented foods, pasture-raised eggs, and butter from grassfed cows.⁵ It is also important to note that trans fats and vegetable oils inhibit vitamin K2’s action in the body (so do common statin drugs and warfarin).⁶ There is clearly a need to supplement with this essential “forgotten” nutrient.

K2 Gets to the Heart of the Matter

Vitamin K2’s main physiological function is to activate specific proteins that direct calcium to where it needs to go (the bones and teeth) and away from soft tissues like the arteries.^{7 8} In fact, there’s something called the "calcium paradox" associated with K2 deficiencies. According to the book Vitamin K2 and The Calcium Paradox: How a Little-Known Vitamin Could Save Your Life, “…millions of people take calcium and vitamin D supplements thinking they're helping their bones, but the truth is, without the addition of vitamin K2, such a health regimen could prove dangerous. Without vitamin K2, the body cannot direct calcium to the bones where it's needed; instead, the calcium resides in soft tissue like the arteries—leading to a combination of osteoporosis and atherosclerosis, or the dreaded ‘calcium paradox.’”⁹ While it’s more popular than ever to supplement with calcium and vitamin D, this should sound a warning about the dire need for adequate K2.

The Rotterdam Heart Study, one of the first large-scale population-based studies that looked at the connection between K2 and heart disease, found that subjects who consumed the largest amounts of vitamin K2 in their diet experienced a 57 percent reduction in death from heart disease compared to people who consumed the least amount. They also had less calcium buildup in the aorta. The amount of K2 that was associated with the lowest risk of heart attack and aortic calcification was around 33 mcg a day.^{10 11}

K2’s Bone Benefits Are Sky High

A number of human studies have also confirmed K2’s role in preventing and treating osteoporosis. Studies have found that supplemental K2 can increase spinal and lumbar bone mineral density (BMD), significantly reduce the risk of fractures in women with osteoporosis, and increase overall BMD in postmenopausal women with osteoporosis. It has also been shown to reduce fractures and increase BMD in osteoporosis associated with Parkinson’s disease, long-term steroid use, anorexia, and those who are bedridden.^{12 13 14 15} Vitamin K2 (in the form of MK-4) has been used as an approved treatment for osteoporosis in Japan for nearly two decades.¹⁶

K2 for Moms and Babies

Another nod for K2… it’s deemed essential for infants and pregnant and breastfeeding moms. After birth, babies’ vitamin K stores are low, and since human milk is relatively poor in this nutrient, breast-fed infants are at particular risk of a bleeding disorder called “vitamin K deficiency bleeding.” Vitamin K2 (in the form of MK-7), has a documented history of safe and effective use. The research indicates that it’s “an ideal choice for supplementation by pregnant and nursing women and children, in both healthy subjects and in those suffering from various malabsorption and health disorders.”¹⁷

Vitamin E Is the E-ssential Antioxidant for Immunity + Beyond

Shifting gears to yet another “forgotten” fat-soluble nutrient—natural vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol) is the major antioxidant in the human body and is critical for the optimal functioning of all cells, protecting them from oxidative damage.¹⁸ This has wide implications for immunity, cardiovascular health, cognitive health, and more.¹⁹

A Health-E, Robust Immune System

Our immune cells are not “immune” to oxidative stress. In fact, significant oxidative damage can kill key immune cells, hindering the body’s immune response. But in a 2015 study published in The Journal of Experimental Medicine, researchers discovered that vitamin E protected T-cells that had significant oxidative damage from death and restored their ability to replicate in response to a virus.²⁰ T-cells are a type of white blood cell that plays a central role in immunity. Earlier research has shown that vitamin E supplementation also increases the activity of neutrophils, another key immune cell.²¹

Vitamin E also seems to offer immune-boosting benefits to the senior population, a group that naturally sees a decrease in immune function with age, characterized by declining T-cell function.²² A randomized, placebo-controlled trial that included 451 people living in nursing homes found that one year of supplementation with 200 IU of vitamin E daily led to a decrease in the incidence of the common cold.²³ Another small trial found that 300 IU of vitamin E daily for six months improved overall immune function in older individuals, bringing them close to the same immune function measured in healthy younger adult controls.²⁴ In addition to restoring T-cell function, vitamin E also inhibits the production of prostaglandin E2, an inflammatory molecule that contributes to pain.²⁵

It’s Eas-E to Support Brain Health

Vitamin E has been shown to be lower in subjects with Alzheimer's disease (AD), compared to healthy individuals, and some studies have shown that supplementing with vitamin E can slow cognitive and functional decline (the ability to perform daily activities), decrease caregiver burden, and even increase overall survival rate.^{26 27 28 29} One study compared vitamin E’s ability to slow the progression of AD in patients with “moderately severe impairment” to the drug selegiline, with the study concluding that treatment with 2,000 IU of vitamin E daily slowed the progression of the disease as well as the drug.³⁰

Support Fertility Naturall-E

As an antioxidant, vitamin E also exerts beneficial effects to improve general reproductive health in women and men.³¹ In women, it helps support healthy cervical mucous so sperm can stay alive longer and helps increase the thickness of the endometrium (the uterine lining), which can be a determining factor for successful implantation. Results from a study showed that 52 percent of women who were given 600 mg of vitamin E daily had improved endometrial thickness. In men, low levels of vitamin E is also believed to play a role in poor sperm quality and mobility. According to one study, “antioxidants like vitamin E were found to have a significant positive effect on sperm count and function. Vitamin E has also been found to protect the sperm membrane from oxidative damage which is essential for good sperm health.”^{32 33}

Together, the “forgotten” nutrients, vitamins K + E, can help us achieve that whole-body health we’re after. They hold the key to unlocking a lifetime of good health and a quality healthspan worth living.

References

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13. http://www.thorne.com/altmedrev/.fulltext/10/1/24.pdf
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20. Matsushita, Mai, et al. “T Cell Lipid Peroxidation Induces Ferroptosis and Prevents Immunity to Infection.” Journal of Experimental Medicine, The Rockefeller University Press, 6 Apr. 2015, http://jem.rupress.org/content/212/4/555.
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23. Meydani, Simin Nikbin, et al. “Vitamin E and Respiratory Tract Infections in Elderly Nursing Home Residents: A Randomized Controlled Trial.” JAMA, U.S. National Library of Medicine, 18 Aug. 2004, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15315997.
24. De la Fuente, Monica, et al. “Vitamin E Ingestion Improves Several Immune Functions in Elderly Men and Women.” Free Radical Research, U.S. National Library of Medicine, Mar. 2008, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18344122.
25. Dayong Wu, and Simin N. Meydani. “Age-Associated Changes in Immune Function: Impact of Vitamin E Intervention and the Underlying Mechanisms.” Http://Www.eurekaselect.com, http://www.eurekaselect.com/124813/article.
26. Lopes da Silva, Sofia, et al. “Plasma Nutrient Status of Patients with Alzheimer's Disease: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.” Alzheimer's & Dementia : the Journal of the Alzheimer's Association, U.S. National Library of Medicine, July 2014, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24144963.
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28. Sano, M, et al. “A Controlled Trial of Selegiline, Alpha-Tocopherol, or Both as Treatment for Alzheimer's Disease. the Alzheimer's Disease Cooperative Study.” The New England Journal of Medicine, U.S. National Library of Medicine, 24 Apr. 1997, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9110909.
29. Dysken, Maurice W, et al. “Effect of Vitamin E and Memantine on Functional Decline in Alzheimer Disease: The Team-AD VA Cooperative Randomized Trial.” JAMA, U.S. National Library of Medicine, 1 Jan. 2014, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24381967.
30. Sano, M, et al. “A Controlled Trial of Selegiline, Alpha-Tocopherol, or Both as Treatment for Alzheimer's Disease. the Alzheimer's Disease Cooperative Study.” The New England Journal of Medicine, U.S. National Library of Medicine, 24 Apr. 1997, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9110909.
31. Mohd Mutalip, Siti Syairah, et al. “Vitamin E as an Antioxidant in Female Reproductive Health.” Antioxidants (Basel, Switzerland), MDPI, 26 Jan. 2018, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5836012/#:~:text=As%20disc….
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33. Majzoub, Ahmad, and Ashok Agarwal. “Systematic Review of Antioxidant Types and Doses in Male Infertility: Benefits on Semen Parameters, Advanced Sperm Function, Assisted Reproduction and Live-Birth Rate.” Arab Journal of Urology, Elsevier, 2 Jan. 2018, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5922223/.