{"id":5188,"date":"2021-10-06T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-10-06T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/salengei.com\/differences-between-vitamin-k1-and-k2\/"},"modified":"2021-10-06T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2021-10-06T00:00:00","slug":"differences-between-vitamin-k1-and-k2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/salengei.com\/en\/blog\/differences-between-vitamin-k1-and-k2\/","title":{"rendered":"Differences Between Vitamin K1 and K2"},"content":{"rendered":"

In today’s post, Dr. Hern\u00e1n Sosa will address a topic of growing interest both for the preservation of health and for the prevention of diseases: vitamin K.<\/strong><\/p>\n

When we usually talk about vitamins, the first ones that usually come to mind are the best known, C in first place -surely-, then those of group B -of whom we have talked at length<\/em> in this blog- and perhaps followed by vitamin D, which had such a boom during the last pandemic.<\/p>\n

But there is a group of vitamins with properties that are not so well spread and therefore not so well known but that mean a lot to our health.
\nToday we will talk more broadly about this topic and we will point out the main differences that will surely help you see the importance of this vitamin. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n

How many types of Vitamin K are there?<\/h1>\n

Although we commonly name vitamin K as a single one, chemically there are two possible natural<\/strong> forms, vitamin K1 or phylloquinone<\/strong> and vitamin K2 which belongs to the menoquinone (MK)<\/strong> family.
\nIn turn, there are other synthetic forms that are not the subject of this article. <\/p>\n

Although this fat-soluble vitamin is essential for the body, its necessary amounts are quite low compared to other cofactors.
\nThe adequate intake level of vitamin K is set at 90\u03bcg\/day for women and 120\u03bcg\/day for men. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n

What are the main sources?<\/h2>\n

In general, we can say that vitamin K1 is found in green leafy vegetables<\/strong> and some vegetable oils (soy, canola and olive) and represents approximately 90% of the daily intake.
\nHowever, the phylloquinone bioavailability of vegetables is lower than that of oil and supplements.
\nAs an additional fact, we can say that the phylloquinone content of green leafy vegetables depends on their chlorophyll content, so the leaves of a more intense green would have more phylloquinone than the paler ones. <\/p>\n

\n

Oil and vitamin K supplements are better absorbed than plant products<\/h4>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Menoquinones, or vitamin K2, are found primarily in animal foods<\/strong>, such as meat, dairy, and eggs.
\nAnother part has microbial origin and is therefore commonly found in fermented foods<\/strong>, such as cheese, yogurt, and natto, which is a product of Japanese origin made from soybeans fermented with bacillus subtilis. <\/p>\n

https:\/\/lpi.oregonstate.edu\/mic\/vitamins\/vitamin-K<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Something quite important:<\/h2>\n

With regard to meat of animal origin, we have to make a caveat.
\nSince vitamin K2 is a byproduct of K1 and animals should consume vitamin K1 from green pastures to produce vitamin K2, this is not currently the case in the vast majority of livestock.
\nIn these times, cattle are fed with industrial feed derived mostly from cereals.
\nThis means that the levels that should be found in foods of this origin may not contain adequate amounts. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Why Vitamin K?<\/h1>\n

Vitamin K was identified by the Danish physician Henrik Dam, who together with the American physician Edward Doisy, discovered its physiological effects and earned them a Nobel Prize in 1943.
\nThe discovery of this new fat-soluble vitamin<\/strong>, which had an extremely important role in the coagulation cascade, received the letter K because the initial discoveries were reported in a German journal, in which it was designated as the Koagulations (coagulation vitamin in German). <\/p>\n<\/p>\n

What are the functions of Vitamin K1?<\/h2>\n

\"\"The word that should stick in our minds regarding vitamin K1 is coagulation<\/strong>.
\nThis vitamin functions as a cofactor for the enzyme \u03b3-glutamylcarboxylase (GGCX), which catalyzes the carboxylation of glutamic acid (Glu) to \u03b3-carboxyglutamic acid (Gla).
\nVitamin K-dependent \u03b3-carboxylation that occurs only at specific glutamic acid residues in identified vitamin K-dependent proteins (VKDPs), is critical in its ability to bind to calcium in negatively charged areas of the phospholipid membrane and thus maintains hemostasis<\/strong>. <\/p>\n

https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1155\/2017\/6254836<\/a><\/p>\n

\n\tAnother very important issue to keep in mind is that some <\/span>oral anticoagulants<\/strong>, such as warfarin, inhibit clotting by <\/span>antagonizing the action of vitamin K<\/strong>.
\nLa warfarina previene el reciclaje de la vitamina K al bloquear la actividad de VKOR, creando as\u00ed una deficiencia funcional de vitamina K. <\/span><\/h4>\n
\n

\n\t\tVitamin K1 is coagulant<\/span><\/h4>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Some observational studies have found a link between phylloquinone (vitamin K1) and age-related bone loss.
\nThe Nurses Health Study followed more than 72,000 women for 10 years.
\nIn an analysis of this cohort, women whose phylloquinone intakes were less than 109\u03bcg\/day had a 30% higher risk of hip fracture compared to women with intakes equal to or greater than 109\u03bcg\/day.
\nDOI: 10.1093\/ajcn\/69.1.74<\/a> <\/p>\n

Another prospective study in more than 800 elderly men and women, which grew out of the Framingham Heart Study, found that participants with dietary vitamin K intakes in the highest quartile (median of 254\u03bcg\/day) had a 65% lower risk of hip fracture than those with intakes in the lowest quartile (median of 56\u03bcg\/day).
\nDOI: 10.1093\/ajcn\/71.5.1201<\/a> <\/p>\n<\/p>\n

The Next Great Vitamin: K2<\/h2>\n

There are many studies that already provide a broad spectrum with reference to vitamin K2.
\nApparently, this small fraction that depends on vitamin K1 would intervene in numerous processes related to cardiovascular health, immunity and neurodegenerative diseases. <\/p>\n