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Vitamin K is important for forming blood clots properly, while Vitamin K2 boosts bone density, reduces calcification of arteries and prevents certain cancers. K2 acts as chaperone for calcium, directing it to bones and not arteries. According to a 2001 research review published in Nutrition, the authors found that Vitamin K increases bone mineral density and reduces fracture rates in people with osteoporosis. They also point out that Vitamin K may be particularly effective when combined with Vitamin D, which is known to play a critical role in bone metabolism.
One of the most frequent questions I receive about raising healthy children on the raw vegan lifestyle involves Vitamin K2 — so important for growing bones.
Many recent articles attempt to show that Vitamin K2 can be obtained only from animal sources, and many vegans and raw vegans now question whether they can get proper amounts of K2 through their vegan lifestyles.
Because Vitamin K largely aids in the clotting of blood, symptoms of a Vitamin K deficiency include easy bruising, gastrointestinal bleeding, nosebleeds, difficult menstruation, and blood in the urine.
There are no known vegetables that contain Vitamin K2. Natto, a bad-tasting fermented soy product, contains the greatest amount of the vegan form known of K2, but this Vitamin K2 is formed during the processing and isn’t natural.
Interestingly, if the articles are saying this vitamin can only be obtained by eating animals and their products, and those animals are vegan plant-eaters, then where do scientists think these animals are getting the vitamin to give us?
It is not generally known that leafy green vegetables contain high amounts of Vitamin K. Kale alone contains over 1325% of our daily requirement of Vitamin K, in approximately two cups of this excellent leafy green. Our bodies are able to convert this Vitamin K1 to Vitamin K2. Spinach, broccoli, asparagus, collard greens, Swiss chard, bok choy, peas, parsley and lentils also contain high amounts of Vitamin K. Studies show that Vitamin K and its components are incredibly resilient and can withstand both cooking and freezing, although we consume more nutrients intact by eating fruits and vegetables raw. Bacteria in our intestines convert Vitamin K1 into Vitamin K2.
Many parents are concerned about their children’s Vitamin K requirements being met when they aren’t eating enough leafy green vegetables. However, there are also significant amounts of Vitamin K in fruits. This information was estimated by nutritiondata.com. The numbers do not match exactly as the charts measure different amounts of the same fruit. Nutritiondata.com measurements use the USDA database, which is based on 100 gram serving sizes, or 200 calorie serving sizes. The different serving sizes below help you to see how easy it is to get Vitamin K from fruits into a child’s diet:
27.8 mcg (micrograms) in 1 kiwi fruit, 28.6 mcg in 1 avocado, 28.5 mcg in 1 cup of fresh blackberries, 46.2 mcg in 1 pomegranate, 22.0 mcg in 1 cup of grapes, 9.6 mcg in 1 cup raspberries, 10.6 mcg in a cup of plums, 11.8 mcg in 5 medium figs,
7.8 mcg in 1 medium pear, 14.1 mcg in 1 mango, 6.9 mcg in 6 apricots, 4.9 mcg
in 1 cup of diced honeydew melon, 3.9 mcg in 1 medium peach, 4.4 mcg in 1
persimmon, 3.9 mcg in 1 cup of cantaloupe, 4 mcg in one medium apple.
There is 48.2 mcg in 1 cup of shredded Romaine lettuce and 11.7 mcg in 1 medium celery stalk. See amounts at: http://nutritiondata.self.com/foods-009104000000000000000-1w.html
Given that the U.S. RDI (Recommended Daily Intake) amounts of Vitamin K for children ages 1-3 is 30 mcg, ages 4-8 is 55 mcg, there does not seem to be any problem for children getting their Vitamin K needs met, even when not eating a lot of leafy green vegetables. The Japanese RDI amounts for Vitamin K for children ages 1-2 is 25 mcg, ages 3-5 is 30 mcg, ages 6-7 is 40 mcg, and 8-9 is 45 mcg.
According to the National Academy of Sciences, adult males 19 years and older should consume 120 micrograms of Vitamin K each day, while adult females 19 years and older should consume 90 micrograms. By including lots of fresh, leafy green vegetables, you should have no problem getting the recommended daily amount of Vitamin K.
Some reports have expressed fear that the conversion of K1 to K2 is insufficient through bacteria in the intestines. It never helps to come from a place of fear. Fear makes us rush to find quick solutions, and in today’s commercial world fear often leads to consumers succumbing to the propaganda of companies that pay for their own research to substantiate those fears in their interest for more profit.
It’s vital for consumers to trace the origin of research projects. Is the research study coming from a top university, or from an independent lab that can be directed by companies that stand to profit from the results? Companies even instruct these laboratories to find results in favor of the company but not the consumer.
Do the dairy and meat industries pay for the research that promotes their products?
In Creating Healthy Children, Professor Rosalind Graham states, “Vitamin K is routinely injected into (or orally administered to) newborn babies in an attempt to assist with clotting of the blood should any type of hemorrhage occur. We have learned the chance of a child developing leukemia resulting from this intervention is greater than that of a hemorrhage. For this reason we did not allow our baby to be given Vitamin K – something she created within her own body within a short time after birth, as nature intended.”
The best preventive measure should be our first priority instead of blindly giving a shot and believing it’s enough. If a shot were to be administered, Dr. Timothy Trader believes K1 would be the appropriate shot of choice for children low in Vitamin K, not K2, even when their beneficial bacteria count is low at birth. Dr. Trader points out, “The bottom line is that pregnant and lactating mothers need to have a high amount of green vegetables in their diet to overcome ‘Vitamin K deficiency bleeding’ that is expected to occur relatively soon after birth, usually rectified with a Vitamin K injection. Most average mothers are low in Vitamin K, Vitamin K has a hard time passing through the placenta, and Vitamin K can be low in mother’s milk. However, eating lots of leafy green vegetables can make all the difference.”
To tell if we have a sufficient amount of Vitamin K, we should get blood work done to examine the prothrombin time and the thromboplastin time, or go to a specialty lab such as Genova Labs for a Serum Vitamin K Assay.
Some studies show that Vitamin K2 is made by the intestinal flora, and the conversion to K2 can be difficult for some people if they have insufficient beneficial bacteria. However, it has been shown that most animals (including humans) convert the Vitamin K1 they get from plants (phylloquinone) to Vitamin K2 (menaquinone-4). Dr. Trader believes that when people show up deficient, they aren’t eating enough leafy green vegetables. He says he gets an average of over 1000% of the DRI of Vitamin K and doesn’t have a deficiency of Vitamin K2.
The following study demonstrates proof that Vitamin K becomes Vitamin K2 in our bodies, titled “Menaquinone-4 in breast milk is derived from dietary phylloquinone.” This study with breastfeeding mothers shows that supplementation of Vitamin K, giving phylloquinone supplementation to lactating mothers, raised both phylloquinone ((K1) and menaquinone-4 (K2). http://www.ncbi.nim.nih.gov/pubmed/12064330
Vitamin K2 can also be made in the liver, pancreas, and other organs, showing we do convert K1 to K2 and K4 as well as the remaining K vitamins. This is verified in the article titled “Conversion of Dietary Phylloquinone to Tissue Menaquinone-4 in Rats Is Not Dependent on Gut Bacteria.”
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9446847. The following article verifies the conversion occurs in the liver: http://chemport.cas.org/cgi-bin/sdcgi?APP=ftslink&action=reflink&origin=npg$version=1.0&coi=1:CAS:528:DyaF3MXhtFahuro%3D&pissn=0028-0836&pyear=2010&md5=8bf3a2311d5aec5b2cdb9f28007454b6
Vitamin K is an essential vitamin necessary for protein modification and blood clotting. Studies show that Vitamin K plays a role in treating osteoporosis and Alzheimer’s disease, and eating foods high in Vitamin K help protect us from cancer and heart disease. Unless you take medications to prevent blood clotting, such as Coumadin (warfarin), there is no risk of Vitamin K toxicity, and we should be eating an abundance of the foods that provide it. The recommended adequate intake of Vitamin K taken in for each age group is listed below from: www.webmd.com:
The recommended adequate intake of Vitamin K you take in, both from food and other sources, follows. Most people get enough Vitamin K from what they eat.
|
Group |
Adequate Intake |
|
Children 0-6 months |
2 micrograms/day |
|
Children 7-12 months |
2.5 micrograms/day |
|
Children 1-3 |
30 micrograms/day |
|
Children 4-8 |
55 micrograms/day |
|
Children 9-13 |
60 micrograms/day |
|
Girls 14-18 |
75 micrograms/day |
|
Women 19 and up |
90 micrograms/day |
|
Women, pregnant or breastfeeding (19-50) Women, pregnant or breastfeeding (less than 19)
|
90 micrograms/day 75 micrograms/day |
|
Boys 15-18 |
120 micrograms/day |
|
Men 19 and up |
120 micrograms/day |
In addition to leafy green vegetables, Vitamin K is also present in fruits: plums, avocados, and kiwis are good sources of Vitamin K.
The body may be forced to take in more Vitamin K2 than it needs through supplementation, thus expending more energy to deal with getting rid of the excess Vitamin K2 it doesn’t need. By eating plenty of fresh, leafy green vegetables, you can insure to obtain more than adequate levels of Vitamin K, which enables you to make your needed amount of Vitamin K2.
Ranzi, Karen. Creating Healthy Children: Through Attachment Parenting and Raw Foods. Ramsey, NJ: SHC Publishing, 2010.
Tuck, Max. www.therawfoodscientist.com
Dr. Timothy Trader
http://altmedicine.about.com/od/herbsupplementguide/a/Vitamin-K.htm
http://altmedicine.about.com/od/herbsupplementguide/a/vitamind.htm
http://www.fitonraw.com/2012/02/is-vitamin-k2-really-an-issue-for-raw-foodists/
http://www.healthaliciousness.com/articles/food-sources-of-vitamin-k.php
jn.nutrition.org/content/137/11/2507S.full
http://learningrawfood.com/2011/01/vitamin-k-does-a-body-much-better-good-than-calcium/
http://www.medicine.wisc.edu/~williams/vitamin_K_review_2008.pdf
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12064330
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9446847
http://nutritiondata.self.com/foods-009104000000000000000-w.html
http://www.webmd.com/vitamins-and-supplements/lifestyle-guide-11/supplement-guide-vitamin-k
http://whfoods.org/genpage.php?tname=nutrient&dbid=112
like you wrote the book in it or something.
I think that you could do with some pics to drive the message home a
bit, but other than that, this is magnificent blog. An excellent read.
I’ll definitely be back.
Valuable.
Karen Ranzi
I’m so glad the Vitamin K and K2 article has been helpful to you. It’s important that vegans understand that these nutrients are readily available in a healthy plant-based diet. After hearing many presenters from the Weston Price Foundation and other organizations emphasize animal products to obtain these nutrients, I think it’s time that we stand up and state that there is current scientific research to show we get these nutrients through a healthy vegan and raw vegan lifestyle.
Interestingly, there was some research carried out a couple of years ago where non-fish eating vegans and fish eaters had their levels of EFAs measured and it turned out that vegans were ingesting less but creating more (from the conversion of ALA to DHA/EPA). It seemed that the more you supplemented, the more the body relied on that supplementation and your body became less efficient at converting ALAs. I wonder if a similar situation might arise when people supplement with things like K2?
The part about research is so true, I’m glad you pointed to that consumer fallacy we often make. It’s like the relatively new “all natural” label on foods in Canada, it’s a way to mask XX% of MSG into a bag chips without having to disclose that to the consumer.
That’s incorrect. Vitamin K2 is a bacteria and that is why it is found in fermented foods – natto, sauerkraut, etc. Since consuming kombucha, sauerkraut and drinking daily green smoothies my health has improved dramatically – energy levels, skin tone and elasticity, my eyesight, no longer covered in bruises, the list goes on and on. Green smoothies for vitamins and minerals, alkaline to increase stomach acid production and immune system. Kombucha for B vitamins, probiotics (would possibly have K2) and more. Sauerkraut for probiotics, Calcium, Magnesium, Vitamin C, K, B6, Folate, Iron, Potassium and more.
Insufficient for our needs for K2.
Firstly, thank you! I very much enjoyed your online article ‘Vitamin K2 in the Raw Vegan Lifestyle’. I have been advised by my IVF clinic to stop taking K2, however, I have been taking this supplement for many years now and am worried about the possibility that my body will not be efficient at converting K1 to K2 at such a crucial time. I noticed in the comments section that you were tested for how well you converted K1 to K2. I would be extremely grateful if you could advise where you got this test done.
Kindest regards,
Leyla McDermott
Thank you,
Karen Ranzi