Overview

Vitamin K is a fat-soluble vitamin that occurs as plant-based vitamin K1 and vitamin K2, which can only be produced by bacteria and is therefore found in animal and fermented products and is also formed in our intestines thanks to intestinal bacteria. It is heat-stable and therefore little is lost when cooking and heating. Our body has only small stores of vitamin K and therefore has a mechanism with which it can “recycle” the vitamin and use it several times.  

Vitamin K is mainly important for blood clotting and healthy bones. As a coenzyme, it enables other enzymes in our body to function. It allows blood to clot and therefore prevents uncontrolled bleeding by using it to produce clotting factors.  

It is needed to transport calcium, the main component of our bones, from the blood to the bones and is therefore essential for strong, healthy bones. Due to the role of the vitamin in calcium regulation and some studies, it is also assumed that vitamin K2 has a positive influence on the cardiovascular system.  

Vitamin K2 – the most important tasks in brief  

The following vitamin K2-related health claims have been evaluated and approved by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) through scientific studies:  

• Vitamin K contributes to normal blood clotting 
• Vitamin K contributes to the maintenance of normal bones 

Your daily need for vitamin K2 

The DGE recommends an intake of 70 µg vitamin K per day for young male adults. For young women, 60 mcg per day is recommended. Older people over 50 have increased needs. This is 80 µg for men and 65 µg for women.  

Vitamin K2 is found in animal products such as milk and dairy products, meat and eggs.  

A vitamin K deficiency in adults is rare because it is found in numerous foods, is produced in our intestines and is reused. However, there is a risk of deficiency with some medications as well as some diseases such as liver damage, fat malabsorption disorders, inflammatory bowel disease and cystic fibrosis.  

However, since there is little vitamin K in breast milk and due to insufficient storage, newborns have an increased risk of vitamin K deficiency.  

There are currently no known harmful effects to higher vitamin K2 intake.  

How a vitamin K2 deficiency can manifest itself  

A deficiency can lead to problems with blood clotting, which manifests itself in bleeding such as bleeding from the gums and nose and very heavy menstrual bleeding. Bruising is also easier. It poses a fatal risk in newborns, as bleeding in the skull is also possible.  

Deficiency has also been linked to some diseases such as: cardiovascular disease, chronic kidney disease, osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, osteoporosis, cancer and dementia.  

Which AgilNature products contain vitamin K2? 

*Nutrient Reference Value = Percentage of the reference value according to Appendix XIII of the Food Information Regulation (EC) No. 1169/2011.  

Literature: 

1. Vitamin K. DGE. https://www.dge.de/forschung/referenzwerte/vitamin-k/ (accessed on December 17, 2023)  
2. "Vitamin K". Corvallis, OR: Micronutrient Information Center, Linus Pauling Institute, Oregon State University. July 2014. https://lpi.oregonstate.edu/mic/vitamins/vitamin-K (accessed December 17, 2023)  
3. Ren L, Peng C, Hu X, Han Y, Huang H. Microbial production of vitamin K2: current status and future prospects. Biotechnol Adv. 2020 Mar-Apr;39:107453.  
4. Hariri E, Kassis N, Iskandar JP, Schurgers LJ, Saad A, Abdelfattah O, Bansal A, Isogai T, Harb SC, Kapadia S. Vitamin K2-a neglected player in cardiovascular health: a narrative review. Open Heart. 2021 Nov;8(2):e001715.  
5. Halder M, Petsophonsakul P, Akbulut AC, Pavlic A, Bohan F, Anderson E, Maresz K, Kramann R, Schurgers L. Vitamin K: Double Bonds beyond Coagulation Insights into Differences between Vitamin K1 and K2 in Health and Disease. Int J Mol Sci. 2019 Feb 19;20(4):896.  
6. Přemysl Mladěnka et al.: Vitamin K - sources, physiological role, kinetics, deficiency, detection, therapeutic use, and toxicity. In: Nutrition Reviews. Volume 80, No. 4, March 10, 2022, pp. 677-698.  
7. Mladěnka, P., Macáková, K., Kujovská Krčmová, L., Javorská, L., Mrštná, K., Carazo, A., Protti, M., Remião, F., Nováková, L., & OEMONOM researchers and collaborators (2022). Vitamin K - sources, physiological role, kinetics, deficiency, detection, therapeutic use, and toxicity. Nutrition reviews, 80(4), 677-698.  
8. Regulation (EC) No. 1924/2006 (Health Claims)