Vitamin K refers to a group of fat-soluble vitamins with similar chemical structures that are needed for blood coagulation. Research over the last few decades has shown a new and emerging role for this vitamin in treating osteoporosis and cardiovascular diseases. Other new and exciting applications for this vitamin have been found in treating Alzheimer’s disease, skin aging, and a variety of cancers. This vitamin was discovered in the 1920s and was called “K” for koagulation due to its role in blood coagulation. Unfortunately, many people are not aware of the health benefits of vitamin K. The K vitamins have been underrated and misunderstood until very recently by both the scientific community and the general public.
Although the effect of magnesium and vitamin D3 on calcium metabolism was previously known, the importance of vitamin K in regulating the healthy function of calcium has only recently been recognized. Vitamin K has now been found to have a role in putting calcium in the right places in the body, such as in the bones and blood, and preventing pathologic calcification of the vessels and soft tissues.
There are three different types of vitamin K: K1, which is found in plants; K2, which is made by bacteria or fermentation; and K3, which is synthetic and, because of the generation of free radicals, is considered toxic. All members of the vitamin K group share a methylated naphthoquinone ring structure and vary in the aliphatic side chain attached at the 3-position. Although these vitamins share a major physiological role, each has other distinct physiological properties. Interestingly, the body is able to convert vitamin K1 to the more active K2.
Unlike other fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, and E), the body does not store vitamin K. It is recycled by the body but not in significant amounts, and therefore deficiencies are common. This is probably due to inadequate dietary intake, lack of cofactors, prescription drugs, and environmental stressors that place high demands on the body’s vitamin K reserves.
