Vitamin K2

Vitamin K2

Vitamin K2 is important for the blood to be able to clot and build up bone tissue. This vitamin is produced in the intestine.

What is vitamin K2?

Vitamin K is a fat-soluble vitamin that helps the blood to clot. In addition, vitamin K is important for the skeleton. The vitamin exists in two forms, vitamin K1 (phylloquinone) and vitamin K2 (menaquinone).

According to several studies, it has been shown that vitamin K2 can possibly strengthen the bone tissue in case of inflammation, in addition to reducing the activity of inflammatory cells. Vitamin K2 activates two proteins in the body:

Osteocalcin – this protein increases the supply of calcium to the skeleton and thus strengthens bone formation.

Matrix gla protein (MGP) – this protein helps to reduce calcium in the artery walls.

Sources of vitamin K2

Vitamin K2 is formed by bacteria in the intestine, but in small amounts. Foods that are rich in vitamin K2 are fermented and matured foods such as yoghurt, cheeses (aged cheese, blue cheese) and raw fish. Vitamin K2 is also found in egg yolks, chicken livers, cuttlefish and butter from cows that have grazed three to six months per year. A Japanese dish that is very rich in vitamin K2 is "natto", which is fermented soybeans.