10 mg of Vitamin K1 a day? 10 times what I take now?!!
My vitamin K level was Low at 0.18 ( range of 0.28-1.78). But we need more than just a vitamin K level to be more accurate with this I think.
For my next set of labs, I plan on having these tests done which are also related to Vitamin K:
Osteocalcin N-MID 16322
Protein C and Protein S, functional 39457
Vitamin K 36585
ICD 9 Code(s): 269.0
269.2
263.0
I will take 20 mg of Vitamin K1 today. It is not stored in the body---can't go toxic according to everything I've read. I think we need more Vitamin K. I want my bones, my heart, my brain, my blood to flow nicely. It's scary, but I figure this is how we came about taking so much Vitamin D. Both sides of clotting issues... excess bleeding and coagulation issues stem from a Vitamin K deficiency. Interesting...
"Recommended intakes of vitamin K1 are based solely on
amounts required to maintain coagulation function (25, 320). It is
doubtful that average intakes, although below the Adequate
Intake, hinder coagulation because the Adequate Intake includes
a safety factor (25). However, concern has been expressed
among some experts that current intake recommendations for
vitamin K1 may not be high enough to ensure adequate function
of VKD proteins not involved in coagulation" (eg, referenceI take 1000 mcg daily and my labs are great. I also take 250 mcg of K2 for calcium absorption and those labs are good too (keeping all digits crossed!).
Hugs,
Ratkity
"Previous theory held that dietary deficiency is extremely rare unless the intestine (small bowel) was heavily damaged, resulting in malabsorption of the molecule. The other at-risk group for deficiency were those subject to decreased production of K2 by normal flora, as seen in broad spectrum antibiotic use.[33] Taking broad-spectrum antibiotics can reduce vitamin K production in the gut by nearly 74% in people compared to those not taking these antibiotics.[34] Diets low in vitamin K also decrease the body's vitamin K concentration.[35] Additionally, in the elderly there is a reduction in vitamin K2 production.[36]
Recent research results also demonstrate that the small intestine and large intestine (colon) seem to be inefficient at absorbing vitamins K.[37][38] These results are reinforced by human cohort studies, where a majority of the subjects showed inadequate vitamins K amounts in the body. This was revealed by the presence of large amounts of incomplete gamma-carboxylated proteins in the blood, an indirect test for vitamins K deficiency.[39][40][41] And in an animal model MK4 was shown to prevent arterial calcifications, pointing to its potential role in cardiovascular disease prevention.[42] In this study vitamin K1 was also tested and shown to not prevent arterial calfications."
That was taken from Wikipedia on Vitamin K... I still just think we need more Vitamin K 1 and Vitamin K2 in the MK-4 form not MK-7. I think we are deficient based on our "gla protein levels" which none of us, to my knowledge, has ever had measured. This is just a hunch though.
But one point some author made, really stuck in my mind. (I hope I can say this half-right) The reason MK4 is sometimes favored is because it is used in so many studies and the reason for this is that where the studies are done the MK4 form is plentiful and cheap.
The MK-7 has a much longer half life. MK-7 stays in bloodstream 20 times longer than MK-4 (100h vs 5h) Some people feel this is a good reason to only take it a couple of times a week