Taking 200 mcg of vitamin k2 a day means that more calcium is going to be in the bones and
less in THE heart and KIDNEYS.
This could lead to a serious improvement in kidney health - and less risk of... DEATH.
Hello, this is Katherine, welcome to our journey together to a better kidney health!
If vitamin D is the kidney vitamin, we can certainly call vitamin K2 the bones and heart
vitamin.
Most people, even doctors, have never heard of Vitamin K2 - but this powerful nutrient
plays an essential role in many aspects of your health.
Especially the health of your kidneys.
And studies confirmed that an increased intake of this nutrient can prevent cardiovascular
related death in people with kidney problems.
So, this vitamin can potentially save your life.
And we should also consider that scientists are starting to think that taking vitamin
D, a very commonly supplemented vitamin, is HARMFUL, even TOXIC if you are NOT taking
vitamin K2 with it.
In fact, many supplements today are putting together these two vitamins for this reason.
The other problem here is that getting enough vitamin K2 from food is almost impossible,
since the only good sources are NATTO, a Japanese delicacy and organ meats.
So, please watch today's video very carefully, especially if you are taking vitamin D as
a supplement or in a multivitamin.
A question for you guys: have you ever heard about vitamin K2?
Has your doctor ever mentioned this essential nutrient to you?
Let's talk about it in comment section!
The reason why I'm asking this is because I think science is severely lagging behind
when it comes to vitamin K2.
I'll show you something.
These are some reviews on amazon.com from people that are taking vitamin K2 as a supplement.
This customer says that taking vitamin K2 for 10 days healed his cavity.
This other customer says that she had a calcified vein in her heart and, after taking Vitamin
K2, the calcified part of her heart tested normal.
Even more interesting - this review was voted as the most helpful.
Here we have a customer that thinks vitamin K2 saved him from dialysis.
Incredible, isn't it?
Ok guys, I know that this may make you want to try this supplement right here and right
now, but I really encourage you to get informed about any supplement you may want to try.
Especially vitamin K.
The main problem here is that Vitamin k has different forms and some of
them can be very dangerous for people with kidney problems.
In particular, There are two vitamins K with totally different
functions.
vitamin K1 phylloquinone, is mainly found in green leafy vegetables.
Vitamin K2 menaquinone, is mainly found in fermented foods and organ meat.
Vitamin K1 deficiency is rare and almost non-existent - unlike for Vitamin K2.
Experts in this area think that most CKD patients have a functional vitamin K deficiency, with
up to 97% of patients having insufficient levels.
And while knowing that this deficiency may be easily solved is a really good news, there's
an important warning here.
NEVER supplement vitamin K1 unless explicitly prescribed by your doctor.
Vitamin k1 is a fat soluble vitamin that, in high dosages, may build up and become toxic.
Also, as we can see here, it's very hard to have a vitamin K1 deficiency,
if you follow a plant based diet.
The adequate intake for vitamin k1 is between 90 and 120 mcg per day.
And, if you eat just 100 grams, or one and half cup of kale or spinach, you will get
enough vitamin k1 to last for a week.
Vitamin k2 is a whole different story.
It's found mainly in natto and organ meat.
And I bet not many of you guys watching me right now eat natto or organ meat on a weekly
basis.
This is one of the reasons why Taking vitamin k2 may have several benefits.
Most important benefit regards calcium.
Calcium is crucial for your bone and heart health, and taking vitamin k2 means that more
calcium is deposited in the bones and less in your heart and kidneys.
According to many experts, this could lead to a serious improvement in kidney health.
Especially if you are already taking vitamin D as a supplement.
But, while vitamin D is strongly recommended by today's guidelines for people with kidney
problems, vitamin K2 is still an unknown quantity.
We don't even have an adequate intake for this nutrient.
But I think this is going to change in the near future.
Also because Vitamin K supplements have been clinically
tested to increase bone density and reduce fractures,
Recent studies have shown that 100 mcg of Vitamin K2 per day for three months was quite
effective in reducing the inflammation in rheumatoid arthritis.
Other benefits of Vitamin K2 include activating health promoting protein in the body, prevention
of many types of cancer including prostate, colon, liver and lung cancer.
It also improves insulin sensitivity which is important for those who have diabetes or
who are at risk of diabetes.
Vitamin K2 can also prevent varicose veins and improve dental health.
Taking Vitamin K2 may keep you looking young.
The Japanese age very gracefully, and maybe it's because their diet is very high in Vitamin
K2-Rich Natto.
So, question Do you need to worry about getting enough
vitamin K2?
Historically, it was felt that you did not need to worry about a vitamin K2 deficiency.
The reasoning was that your body would make all the vitamin K2 it needed from vitamin
K1.
But, as we have seen, this is not always the case - especially in people with kidney problems.
Now, while it's true that humans can obtain small amounts of vitamin K2 by converting
K1 from food, this conversion is very limited, and does not meet our intake requirements.
Unfortunately, there is not a good test to see if you have a vitamin K2 deficiency.
There are also no government recommendations on how much vitamin K2 you need.
But I bet there will be one in the near future, seeing how many benefits this vitamin has.
Also, the risks involved in supplementing it are very limited.
The main precaution here is to avoid supplementing vitamin K2 if you are taking anticoagulants
such as warfarin or coumadin, as it can interfere with them.
So, what's the best way to supplement vitamin K2?
If you take a look on amazon.com, there are several supplements of vitamin K2.
Most of them also contain vitamin D3, and some calcium.
While this could seem an easier way to take this vitamin, vitamin D and vitamin K are
both fat soluble, so they compete for absorption.
Taking them at separate times - at least 3 hours apart - may work better.
And, since vitamin K is fat-soluble, consuming it with fat can improve absorption.
For instance, you could add a little olive oil to your leafy greens when you take your
vitamin k2.
Now, there are several forms of vitamin k2 - most common being mk-4 and mk-7.
Mk4 is less bioavailable, meaning that you would need to take more of it to get the results.
The MK-7 form of vitamin K2, can increase blood levels of vitamin K up to 8 times as
much as other forms.
It's the best form, and it's the one I'm using.
Most studies with the MK-7 form of K2 have used dosing between 100 mcg and 400 mcg per
day.
The safest route is always to start with the lower dosage, 100 mcg and to consult a doctor.
So, question: is it safe to take vitamin D without taking vitamin K2?
Some researchers are concerned that a high vitamin D intake may promote blood vessel
calcification - a cause of death - in case of inadequate vitamin K intake.
One symptom of vitamin D toxicity is hypercalcemia, a condition characterized by excessively high
levels of calcium in the blood that can lead to vessel calcification.
Vitamin K supplements prevented this from happening, in various animal studies.
Researches on human CONFIRMED that people who get high amounts of vitamin K2 from their
diet are at a REDUCED RISK of blood vessel calcification and HEART DISEASE.
Put simply, vitamin D toxicity may cause blood vessel calcification, while VITAMIN K MAY
HELP PREVENT THIS FROM HAPPENING.
However, no strong evidence proves that moderate amounts of vitamin D are harmful without an
adequate intake of vitamin K.
This is why I always suggest to stay away from supplements with very high dosages of
vitamin D - even if they're really popular right now.
Bottom line.
Vitamin k2 is a long misunderstood fat-soluble vitamin that holds great potential.
Its function is to regulate calcium deposition - which is of key importance for people with
kidney problems.
Mineral and bone disorder, or too much phosphorus and too little calcium is a very, very common
complication of CKD - most people with kidney failure or on dialysis suffer from it.
And it's not just a cause for bone problems, such as osteoporosis - it can seriously affect
heart and kidney health.
It's a common cause of death.
This is why I think it's a great news that a cheap, easy to find and, most importantly
very safe supplement can help.
A new video is coming next Friday, as usual, and I really hope to see you there!
In the meantime, keep taking good care of your kidneys and be good to yourself.
This is all for today, thank you for watching!