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Vitamin K2
Vitamin K2 helps to keep bones strong and arteries flexible
Vitamin K is a nutrient that has various important roles to keep your body healthy. It includes a group of K vitamins, with the two main forms being vitamin K1 and vitamin K2.
Interestingly, not only can these two types of vitamin K be derived from different food sources, they also may appear to have different effects in the body.
Vitamin K1 can be found in green leafy vegetables such as green salads, broccoli, kale and spinach. The main function of vitamin K1 is to help blood to clot by activating blood-clotting proteins.
The role of vitamin K2 in bone and heart health
Vitamin K2, on the other hand, which can be obtained from meat, dairy, eggs and fermented foods such as cheese and yogurt, has two key roles which contribute to bone and heart health:
Firstly, it activates a "bone building" protein called osteocalcin, which helps calcium bind to the bone, thereby strengthening bones.
Secondly, vitamin K2 activates another important protein, called matrix Gla-protein (MGP), that helps direct calcium into the bone and away from the heart, helping to prevent arterial calcification
Did you know?
Arterial calcification occurs when excess calcium is deposited in the arteries of the heart causing arterial stiffening, which can increase your risk of cardiovascular disease. By taking a calcium or bone health supplement containing vitamin K2, it may help provide the necessary bone benefits while helping to reduce the risk of heart disease.
The Vitamin K2 in B-CAL-K2 is the key link connecting bone and cardiovascular health.
Vitamin K2 in our Diets
Some foods that contain vitamin K2 include beef liver, chicken, butter, cheese and egg yolk.
- 1 cup cooked kale – 453% of RDA (544ug)
- 1 cup of lettuce – 47% of RDA (56ug)
- 1 cup kiwifruit – 60% of RDA (73ug)
- 1 cup green beans – 50% RDA (60ug)
- 1 cup asparagus – 76% of RDA (91ug)
It's never too late to start!
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