When thinking of heart health it’s important to think of the entire circulatory system. The circulatory system contains approximately 60,000 miles of blood vessels, arteries, and veins, and helps deliver nutrients and oxygen to the body, as well as removing the waste.
Did you know that Vitamin K2-7 is “the little known vitamin linked to heart health”?
Let’s learn more…
Quick Answer: Vitamin K2-7 is a lesser-known form of vitamin K that is often linked to heart and bone health. Its main job is to help direct calcium to your bones rather than letting it build up in your blood vessels. Unlike vitamin K1, which is common in leafy greens, K2 is hard to get from food; the richest source is natto, a Japanese fermented soybean, so many people turn to a supplement. Research has associated higher K2 intake with better cardiovascular outcomes. The most bioavailable supplements pair K2-7 with co-factors like magnesium and zinc, and pairing K2 with vitamin D can further support how the body uses calcium.
What Is Vitamin K2-7?
Vitamin K2-7 is a form of vitamin K that helps direct calcium to your bones and away from your arteries. Unlike vitamin K1 from leafy greens, which supports blood clotting, K2 is harder to get from food but plays an important role in circulatory health.
Vitamin K2 is the top recommendation for supporting healthy blood vessels. Vitamin K1 is the popular, well-known vitamin found in leafy vegetables, which helps the clotting of blood. However, vitamin K2 is harder to find in foods and less abundant. Its role is very important: delivering calcium to your bones and stopping calcified plaque from stacking up in your circulatory system.
Which Foods Contain Vitamin K2?
Vitamin K2 is found in only small amounts in foods such as organ meats and natto, a Japanese fermented soybean. Natto has the highest concentration of any food, so people who do not eat it often turn to a supplement.
Vitamin K2 is found in small amounts in several (let’s call them “undesirable”) foods, including organ meats and natto, a Japanese fermented soybean. Natto contains the highest concentration of Vitamin K2 in a food, with 250 mcg per ounce. But if you’re not interested in eating natto everyday (if you can even find it), then your best and easiest way of getting Vitamin K2 is in supplement form.
According to Dr. Mercola, vitamin K helps direct the calcium you consume to your bones, where vitamin D helps your body absorb it. Mercola says, “Vitamin K2 activates a protein hormone called osteocalcin, produced by osteoblasts, which is needed to bind calcium into the matrix of your bone…In other words, without the help of vitamin K2, the calcium that your vitamin D so effectively lets in might be working AGAINST you – by building up your coronary arteries rather than your bones.”
What Does Research Say About K2 and Heart Health?
Several large studies have looked at vitamin K2 and cardiovascular outcomes. Higher dietary K2 intake has been associated with better heart-health markers, and researchers have also explored K2-7's role in cellular energy production.
There have been several large-scale studies demonstrating the impact of K2 on heart health. In the Rotterdam Heart study – which spanned 10 years and was comprised of 4,800 subjects – participants who ingested the greatest quantities of vitamin K2 in their diet experienced a 57% reduction in death from heart disease than people who ingested the least.
Not only does K2 transport calcium away from the arteries and to the bones, it also has a beneficial role to the health of our mitochondria cells. Scientists found that vitamin K2-7 enables the electron transport chain of cellular energy generation and the production of ATP. In simple terms, it reduces muscle cramping and increases the utilization of oxygen consumption, which increases cardiac output by as much as 15% at rest.
What does this all mean to you?
Fortunately for all of us, Just Thrive Vitamin K2-7 is the only product available on the retail market with the optimum therapeutic dose of 320mcg per day. While 90mcg-150mcg is common in other supplements, research suggests that a larger dose of 320mcg is the therapeutic dose for optimal carboxylation of proteins. It is also the only vitamin K2-7 supplement containing the main co-factors magnesium and zinc, making it the most bio-available form of Vitamin K2-7 on the market.
Frequently Asked Questions About Vitamin K2-7
What is vitamin K2-7?
Vitamin K2-7 (also called MK-7) is a form of vitamin K2. Its main role is to help direct calcium to the bones and keep it from building up in the blood vessels, which is why it is often associated with heart and bone health.
What is the difference between vitamin K1 and K2?
Vitamin K1 is common in leafy green vegetables and is best known for its role in blood clotting. Vitamin K2 is harder to find in food and works mainly to move calcium into the bones, supporting the circulatory system.
What foods contain vitamin K2?
Vitamin K2 appears in small amounts in foods like organ meats and natto, a Japanese fermented soybean. Natto has the highest concentration of any food. Because dietary sources are limited, many people choose a supplement.
Why is vitamin K2 paired with vitamin D?
Vitamin D helps the body absorb calcium, while vitamin K2 helps direct that calcium to the bones. Together they support how the body uses calcium, which is why the two are often taken as a pair.
How much vitamin K2-7 should you take?
Common supplements provide roughly 90 to 150 mcg. Some formulas use a higher amount, and pairing K2-7 with co-factors such as magnesium and zinc can improve its bioavailability. Check with your healthcare provider about the right amount for you.
Learn more about the health benefits of Just Thrive Vitamin K2-7 here, or click here to purchase.
The post February is Heart Health Month…Do You Know About Vitamin K2-7? appeared first on Thrive Probiotic.
