Why Vitamin K2 Is Critical For Good Heart And Bone Health

There has been substantial research into the benefits of vitamin K2, especially its role in maintaining cardiovascular and bone health. However, it is not vitamin K2 alone that will be the lifesaver. Instead vitamin K2 works synergistically with other nutrients including calcium that helps strengthen bones, and vitamin D, which is critical for optimal health.

While you will get sufficient vitamin K from a good, balanced diet, there is a general lack of knowledge about the vitamin, particularly the fact that there are different types, each of which plays a different role in the body.

The Discovery Of Vitamin K

Vitamin K was discovered in 1929 by Danish scientist Henrik Dam, who was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1946 for his work. But it wasn’t until the 1970s that scientists discovered osteocalcin, a vitamin K-dependent protein (VKDP), and began to study the importance of VKDPs. And it is only in the past two decades that the impact of vitamin K on cardiovascular and bone health has been discovered.

While the chicks were able to synthesize the cholesterol, this was not the cause of the bleeding. Several years later he came to the conclusion that the disease was due to something lacking in the chicks’ diet. After studying plant material and animal organs to see what would give protection against the disease, he discovered a new fat-soluble vitamin that he designated as vitamin K.

Something else he had noticed was that the chicks’ blood showed delayed coagulation, which led to later research to see how vitamin K affected blood clotting.

Subsequently it was found that vitamin K has different forms:

• Vitamin K1 (phylloquinone) is found in green vegetables and other plants and it is stored in the liver and plays a vital role in terms of healthy blood clotting.
• Vitamin K2 (menaquinone) is made in the body by the bacteria lining the gastrointestinal tract. From here it moves into the bones, teeth, tissues and blood vessel walls, but not the liver.

Vitamin K And The Calcium Paradox

The so-called calcium paradox is a concept introduced by naturopath physician Dr Kate Rheaume-Bleue in her book, Vitamin K2 and the Calcium Paradox: How a Little-Known Vitamin Could Save Your Life. Recognizing that heart disease caused by calcium accumulating in the arteries is the biggest killer in North America, and that osteoporosis is the top cause of death and disability of elderly people, she grappled with the idea of calcium excess (in the arteries) and calcium deficiency (in the skeleton) occurring together. With a growing body of so-called science advising people to stop taking calcium supplements to avoid heart disease, she came up with another answer to the “calcium conundrum” – vitamin K2 that strengthens bones by funneling calcium, at the same time removing arterial calcification. Further, she said, if vitamin K2 is deficient, then calcium will not be metabolized correctly and it can end up in the arteries.

Her concept has been accepted in major scientific fields.

The Value Of K Vitamins And Their Function in the Body

According to the International Science and Health Foundation (ISHF) there are 17 different VKDPs that have been identified. Vitamin K kicks in and activates these proteins (including osteocalcin in the skeletal bones) as well as Matric Gla Protein (MGP) that is present in the arteries, as well as activating blood-clotting abilities via the liver.

The body is totally dependent on vitamin K to bind calcium to the surface of the bones and to prevent it being deposited in the arteries. Vitamin K also helps to coagulate the blood. If there is insufficient vitamin K in the system, then these vital proteins (VKDPs) will stay inactive and the body’s health will be seriously compromised. The result will likely be weak bones (and the threat of osteoporosis) as well as stiff, inelastic arteries (and the threat of cardiovascular problems.)

Other Benefits Of Vitamin K

While vitamin K (specifically vitamin K2) has been singled out in terms of its value to prevent osteoporosis and cardiac disease, it also has potential benefits for:

• Countering tumors
• Improving brain health
• Improving the condition of the central nervous system
• Inflammation
• Skin health

Additionally, emerging health applications singled out by ISHF are:

• Chronic kidney disease
• Diabetes
• Dementia
• Parkinson’s Disease

Chronic kidney disease is commonly a predictor of mortality that is associated with vascular calcification and serious cardiovascular problems likely to be fatal. Both are often associated with a deficiency in vitamin K that can often be treated effectively with supplements. 

Diabetes is another disease that has serious vascular complications that commonly results in life-saving amputation of limbs (usually toes, feet and legs.) It is also proven that diabetes increases not only vascular calcification but that it also accelerates atherosclerosis. It often leads to cardiovascular problems that ultimately end in death. While vitamin K is not a proven therapeutic option, it is one that scientists are looking at, and one that is likely to be studied further.

Dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease are attracting increased research studies, but the impact of vitamin K on dementia is in its very early stages. However, at least one relatively recent 2001 study has found that vitamin K could help patients improve cognitive control. Apart from anything else, it is a well-established fact that proteins dependent on vitamin K play a key role in the human nervous system.  

Parkinson’s Disease is a dreaded mitochondrial disease that affects the brain and neural communication. While no human studies involving vitamin K2 have been done yet, a study that involved fruit flies has given scientists encouragement to see if they can find links that could help patients. 

Current Research Involving Vitamin K2

Most of the current research involving vitamin K2 relates to osteoporosis and heart health, but there is also interesting ongoing research that relates to aging. For example:

• A three-year Norwegian study published earlier this year indicated that vitamin K2 can successfully improve arterial flexibility and reduce the risk of cardiovascular risk. Participants included 244 healthy women between the ages of 55 and 65.
• A current study at Boston’s Tufts University that is aiming to identify vitamin K-dependent pathways in the progress of osteoarthritis.
• A study underway at Tufts University’s Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging is looking at vitamin K and how it affects aging. Additionally it is looking at the association between vitamin K and knee osteoarthritis in older adults, amongst other things.