022: What’s New With Vitamin K2?

Mastering Nutrition Episode 22

Originally published December 10, 2016.

Introduction

Yesterday I introduced The Ultimate Vitamin K2 Resource. In episode 22 of the podcast, I’ve extracted from the resource the latest developments and elaborated on them for a more in-depth discussion. I begin by telling the story of my 2007 activator X article. What do I still stand by? What do I see differently? And then I carry us right up through some of the most recent developments as things continue to evolve now.

Show Notes

In this episode, you’ll find all the following and more:

• 0:02:38     Introducing the Ultimate Vitamin K2 Resource

• 0:11:08     The story leading up to the 2007 activator X article.

• 0:18:19     The division between vitamins K1 (phylloquinone) and K2 (menaquinone) is misleadingly simplistic, from both a chemistry perspective and a health perspective. The discovery of MK-4 as a product of animal synthesis hinted at this a half century ago; the more recent discovery of tetrahydromenaquinones, which chemically fit halfway into each category, makes this clear now; that MK-4 has unique effects on gene expression and that short-chain and long-chain MKs have very different tissue distributions make it clear that different forms of “K2” are at least as different from one another as they are from K1.

• 0:38:10     The content of vitamin K in some foods may be grossly underestimated because tetrahydro-MKs have been ignored.

• 0:43:06     MK-10 and MK-11 in pork products. Are they from poop? How bioavailable are they? Do they have specific roles in the mitochondria?

• 0:52:09    I finally weigh in on MK-4 vs. MK-7 with the long-winded rant it has for so long deserved.

• 1:11:43    The conversion of other K vitamins to MK-4: we now know that it is not only genetically variable, but it is also epigenetically variable, dependent on zinc and magnesium, and inhibited by lipophilic statins used to treat high cholesterol and nitrogenous bisphosphonates used to treat osteoporosis.

• 1:26:44    MK-4, gene expression, sex hormones and cancer.

• 1:34:21    Undercarboxylated osteocalcin: more controversial than it needs to be, but a bone-derived hormone that not only promotes leanness, a high metabolic rate, blood sugar stability, insulin sensitivity, and fertility, but we also now know to be necessary for energy utilization during exercise.

• 1:48:21    What’s the optimal dose of vitamin K2?

• 1:52:33    Uncommon side effects of supplementation and a physiological rationale to explain them.

• 1:59:58   The minimal effective dose to receive the maximum desired effect.

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