New research clarifies how your body allocates vitamin K and what this means for long-term health. Here are three essential takeaways:
First, current recommendations (90–120 mcg daily) prioritise clotting function while leaving bone and arterial tissues partially starved of fully activated vitamin K-dependent proteins. Second, achieving complete carboxylation of bone-building proteins likely requires substantially higher intakes: greater than 1 mg/day of K1 or approximately 200 mcg/day of MK-7 (K2).
Third, the form of vitamin K matters significantly. While K1 circulates only 1–1.5 hours, MK-7 remains bioavailable for 3–4 days, enabling superior tissue distribution and extrahepatic activation. These insights suggest that individuals concerned with bone density and cardiovascular health may benefit from discussing vitamin K intake strategies with healthcare providers.
Read the full article on GMJ Newsroom.
Was this article helpful?
