Sarah McGowan-Freije, NatureCity author & contributor

Osteoporosis is characterized by low bone mass and can lead to devastating breaks, especially in the wrists, spine and hips. In a breakthrough study, researchers have established a connection between vitamin K2 intake and improved bone health in postmenopausal women, potentially delaying the onset of osteoporosis.

The study included 244 postmenopausal women between the ages of 55 and 65. over the course of three years, half of the women took 180 mg daily of a low dose vitamin K2 supplement while the other half took a supplement.

At the conclusion of the study, the women taking the placebo had a 1.5% decline in bone mineral density (BMD), while the supplement group had a less than 0.5% decline in BMD. The supplement group had 50% lower levels of circulating inactive osteocalcin, while the placebo group had 4% lower levels.

Inactive osteocalcin is a protein that relies on vitamin K. It helps your body turn calcium into bone tissue but can’t become active without vitamin K.
The study was conducted by researchers at Maastricht University in the Netherlands. It as published in the March 2013 issue of Osteoporosis International.

Vitamin K actually comes in two main forms: K1 (phylloquinone) and K2 (menaquinones). Vitamin K1 is found in green leafy vegetables and makes up about 90% of the vitamin K consumption in a western diet.

Vitamin K2 is harder to come by and therefore makes up only 10% of consumption. It is most common in fermented foods like cheese but can also be found in meat and soybeans. Both vitamin K1 and K2 can also be found in supplement form.

Scott Greenberg, NatureCity author & contributor

As we age, we lose bone density, which can result in an increased risk of fractures. A new study suggests that vitamin K supplementation may improve bone density in postmenopausal women.

The postmenopausal women who participated in the study were divided into four groups. For a period of 12 months, they received one of the following four interventions daily:

1) dairy products fortified with 800 mg calcium and 10 mcg of vitamin D3

2) the same dairy products, plus 100 mcg of vitamin K1

3) the same dairy products, plus 100 mcg of vitamin K2

4) a control group

At the conclusion of the study, participants in all three of the intervention groups had significant increases in vitamin D levels and total body bone density. However, only the participants who received the vitamin K also saw significant increases in the bone density of the lumbar spine.

The study was conducted by researchers at Harokopio University in Greece. It was published in the April 2012 issue of Calcified Tissue International.

Previous studies have linked vitamin K to bone and cardiovascular health. However, a number of recent studies have found that vitamin K may also reduce the risk of prostate cancer.

Vitamin K1 can be found in leafy green vegetables and some oils but it has a very short half-life, meaning it loses half of its potency in 1-2 hours. As a result, increasing your K1 intake through diet alone can be very difficult. Vitamin K2 on the other hand has a much longer half-life and is better absorbed. Foods high in vitamin K2 include cheese, egg yolk, chicken liver and ground beef.

Emma McGowan NatureCity author & contributor

A recent study suggests that low levels of vitamin K1 may be associated with a higher risk of developing type-2 diabetes. Specifically, every 100 micrograms daily increase of vitamin K1 was associated with a 17% lower risk of developing diabetes.

The study included 1069 participants with an average age of 67.5. None of the individuals had diabetes at the onset of the study, but after 5.5 years, 131 had been diagnosed.

The researchers found that levels of vitamin K1 at the start of the study were linked to the risk of developing type-2 diabetes. Higher levels of vitamin K1 correlated with lower risk.

They also found that the individuals who increased their vitamin K1 intake during the study period were 51% less likely to develop diabetes than participants who decreased or did not change their intake level.

The study was conducted by researchers at Universitat Rovira I Virgili, the Institute of Health Carlos III, and the University of Navarre, all in Spain. It was published in September, 2012 edition of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

Previous studies have linked vitamin K1 with improved heart health, better bone health, and lower risk of non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

Vitamin K in the form of vitamin K1 is found in green leafy vegetables such as broccoli, lettuce and spinach. You can also get your daily dose of vitamin K1 in supplement form.

Emma McGowan NatureCity author & contributor

Previous studies have been inconclusive regarding the effects of vitamin K2 on heart and bone health. Now a 3 year clinical trial suggests that natural forms of vitamin K2 are good for both your heart and your bones.

The research was conducted at Maastricht University and was presented at Vitafoods Europe 2012, which took place the week of May 22, 2012.

Participants in the study included 244 postmenopausal women with no other known health problems. The women were split into two groups, with one group consuming 180 mcg of vitamin K2 and the other taking a placebo for three years.

During the three year trial period, the researchers measured bone mineral density, bone strength and vascular characteristics using ultrasound and pulse-wave velocity. They found that the vitamin K2 group exhibited prevention of age-related arterial stiffening, improved vascular elasticity and improved bone density when compared with the placebo group.

However, the effects were only seen after two to three years of supplementation. The researchers posit that this is why previous studies, which had much shorter durations, did not show similar results.

While a large part of the research into vitamin K focuses on heart and bone health, previous studies have linked vitamin K with reducing the risk of diabetes and lower risk of non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

Vitamin K in the form of vitamin K1 is found in green leafy vegetables. Vitamin K in the form of vitamin K2 is most common in fermented foods like cheese but can also be found in meat and soybeans. You can also get your daily dose of vitamin K in supplement form.

Emma McGowan NatureCity author & contributor

Vitamin K is an essential nutrient necessary for blood clotting that has also been associated with bone health. A new study has shown that different forms of vitamin K may increase bone mineral density and reduce the risk of osteoporosis in postmenopausal women.

Published in the April 2012 issue of Calcified Tissue International, the study examined the effects on bone density of combining calcium and vitamin D with the two primary forms of vitamin K—phylloquinone (vitamin K1) and menaquinones (vitamin K2).

The researchers recruited postmenopausal women and placed them in three groups: two interventions and a control. While all three groups received 800 mg of calcium and 10 mcg vitamin D3 daily, one intervention group also consumed 100 mcg of vitamin K1 and the other intervention group consumed the same amount of vitamin K2.

After 12 months, the researchers observed higher total-body bone mineral density (BMD) in all three groups but observed increased BMD in the lumbar spine only in the intervention groups. When lumbar spine BMD is increased, the risk of vertebral fractures decreases.

The researchers believe the vitamin K-enriched supplement increased serum levels of osteocalcin. Osteocalcin is a protein that allows the body to utilize calcium in bone tissue and relies on vitamin K in order to become active.

Vitamin K1 can be found in leafy green vegetables and some oils but it has a very short half-life, meaning it loses half of its potency in 1-2 hours. As a result, increasing your K1 intake through diet alone can be very difficult. Vitamin K2 on the other hand has a much longer half life and is better absorbed. Foods high in vitamin K2 include cheese, egg yolk, chicken liver and ground beef.

Scott Greenberg, NatureCity author & contributor

As we age our bones become less dense, increasing the risk of hip fractures. A recent study from University of Bergen in Bergen, Norway, suggests that increasing your intake of vitamin K1 may help reduce the risk of hip fracture.

The study was published in the August, 2011 edition of the journal Bone.

The researchers examined 1569 men and 1238 women between the ages of 71 and 75 who participated in the Hordaland Health Study. Information about K1 and K2 levels was taken when people were hospitalized in Western Norway and hip fractures were reported by the hospitals.

They found that those in the lowest quartile of vitamin K1 intake had a 57% higher chance of suffering from a hip fracture than those in the highest quartile of vitamin K1 intake. They also found that K2 levels were not associated with hip fractures.

Low levels of vitamin K1 have previously been linked to a high risk of osteoporotic fracture, vascular calcification and cardiovascular disease. The Food and Nutrition Board of the Institute of Medicine suggests that an adult 19 years of age or older should receive 120 mcg of vitamin k per day.

Vitamin K1 can be found in leafy green vegetables and some oils but it has a very short half-life, meaning it loses half of its potency in 1-2 hours. As a result, increasing your K1 intake through diet alone can be very difficult. If you are concerned about bone density, consider taking a daily supplement of vitamin K.

Evan Watson, NatureCity author & contributor

Researchers at the University Medical Center Utrecht in the Netherlands recently conducted a study which found that people with higher dietary intakes of Vitamin K are significantly less likely to develop type-2 diabetes.

Their findings were published in the September 2010 issue of the journal Diabetes Care.

The researchers followed nearly 40,000 Dutch adults for over 10 years. During that time they closely tracked the participants’ diet, health and lifestyle habits.

They found that participants with the highest vitamin K1 and K2 intakes were 19% and 20% less likely to develop type-2 diabetes, respectively, than those with the lowest intake. Vitamin K1 was associated with decreased diabetes risk only at very high doses, whereas every 10 microgram increase of vitamin K2 led to a decrease in risk.

A large influx of new studies showing the necessity of vitamin K has experts urging for the creation of new daily recommendations for vitamin K. The current recommendation is 12 micrograms for men and 90 micrograms for women. Participants in this study with the highest intakes were consuming between 250 and 360 micrograms per day.

Vitamin K actually comes in two main forms: K1 (phylloquinone) and K2 (menaquinones). Vitamin K1 is found in green leafy vegetables and makes up about 90% of the vitamin K consumption in a western diet.

Vitamin K2 is harder to come by and therefore makes up only 10% of consumption. It is most common in fermented foods like cheese but can also be found in meat and soybeans. Both vitamin K1 and K2 can also be found in supplement form.

Scott Greenberg, NatureCity author & contributor

Researchers from the University Medical Center Utrecht in the Netherlands recently conducted a study which found that Vitamin K may be linked to lower risk of developing diabetes. Their findings were published in the April 2010 edition of the journal Diabetes Care.

The researchers followed over 38,000 Dutch adults for 10 years. The participants were all between 20 and 70 years of age. During the 10 years, 918 (2.5%) of the participants were diagnosed with type-2 diabetes.

The researchers determined each participant’s daily vitamin K intake using detailed dietary questionnaires. The participants also answered questions about their lifestyle habits and overall health.

After accounting for lifestyle factors, the researchers still found a 20% reduction in diabetes risk among the one-quarter of participants with the highest vitamin K intake compared to the one-quarter with the lowest.

Both of the main forms of vitamin K, vitamin K1 and Vitamin K2, were associated with a lower risk of diabetes. However, Vitamin K2 seemed to be slightly more effective.

You can increase your vitamin K intake by taking a supplement, and the vitamin can also be found in some common foods.

Vitamin K1 is found in green leafy vegetables and makes up about 90% of the vitamin K consumption in a western diet.

Vitamin K2 is harder to come by and therefore makes up only 10% of consumption. It is most common in fermented foods like cheese but can also be found in meat and soybeans.

Evan Watson, NatureCity author & contributor

A study was recently presented at the 101st Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) which found that vitamin K may slash the risk of developing Non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma is a life threatening disease that affects white blood cells and causes tumorous growths. According to the American Cancer Society there are 50,000 new cases of Non-Hodgkin lymphoma in the US every year.

The study was conducted by researchers from the Mayo clinic and included 603 participants with Non-Hodgkin lymphoma and 1,007 healthy control subjects with no cancer.

All of the participants completed food questionnaires in order to determine intakes of vitamin K both from food sources and supplements.

Based on the data the researchers were able to determine that people with high intakes of vitamin K (over 108 mg) had a 45% reduced risk of developing Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma. This protective effect was apparent when vitamin K was consumed through normal dietary sources as well as from supplement sources.

Vitamin K has been receiving an increasing amount of attention due to various other health benefits ranging from bone and joint health to reducing the risk of prostate cancer.

Due to all of these new findings, experts are urging the creation of new daily recommendations for vitamin K, which actually comes in two main forms: K1 (phylloquinone) and K2 (menaquinones). Vitamin K1 is found in green leafy vegetables and makes up about 90% of the vitamin K consumption in a western diet.

Vitamin K2 is harder to come by and therefore makes up only 10% of consumption. It is most common in fermented foods like cheese but can also be found in meat and soybeans. Both vitamin K1 and K2 can also be found in supplement form.

Scott Greenberg, NatureCity author & contributor

Consuming more foods high in Vitamin K may reduce the risk of developing cancer according to recent findings from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition Study (EPIC).

Researchers from the German Research Center for Environmental Health conducted the study which was published in the March 2010 issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

The study included nearly 25,000 participants between 35 and 64 years of age.

The participants were followed for over 10 years, during which time 1,755 cases of cancer were diagnosed, resulting in 458 deaths.

The researchers found that people with the highest intakes of vitamin K2 had a 14% reduction in cancer risk compared to those with the lowest intakes. They also found a 28% reduction in death due to cancer among people with the highest intakes.

This study adds to a quickly growing body of evidence backing the health benefits of vitamin K. Previous studies have found the most pronounced benefits in relation to bone and cardiovascular health but a number of recent studies are now showing that vitamin K may also reduce the risk of prostate cancer.

Experts are now urging for new daily recommendations for the vitamin due to these new findings, especially because most people are not even meeting the current recommendations.

The two main forms of vitamin K are K1 (phylloquinone) and K2 (menaquinones). Vitamin K1 is found in green leafy vegetables and makes up about 90% of the vitamin K consumption in a western diet.

Vitamin K2 is harder to come by and therefore makes up only about 10% of consumption. It is most common in fermented foods like cheese but can also be found in meat and soybeans. You can also get your daily dose of vitamin K2 in supplement form.