Fat soluble vitamin k is one of which are fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E and K). Vitamin k is best known for his role in bone health and blood coagulation, but recent evidence linking vitamin k for cardiovascular diseases are the number one killer of worlds.
There are two forms of this vitamin we can find in food. One is the Vitamin K1 (phylloquinone), a form found in plant foods such as spinach. The other is vitamin K2 (menaquinone), which we get from food for animals and is much better absorbed and bio more active as the shape of the plant.
The function of vitamin k in the body, is to modify the amino acid glutamate specific on certain proteins, enabling them to bind calcium. This is important because Calcium is a key player in some of our major health problems as it ages.
It is primarily the bone loss and fractures due to the loss of calcium from bone and calcium deposition in the arteries which encourages them to become clogged, contributing to heart disease. When your levels of vitamin k is adequate, these proteins to function properly.
It is usually not considered necessary to obtain many fat soluble vitamin k in the diet, because the bacteria in the intestine can produce some form of K2. Waiting at the lack of necessary clotting factor was regarded as extremely rare, but from the point of view of the prevention of arterial calcification and ensure optimal bone health, it is much more common. There are also elements of evidence showing that vitamin k can be beneficial against liver and prostate cancers.
You will find the K1 form in many different fruits and vegetables, but green leaves like spinach and Kale vegetables are the best sources. I would recommend instead to go to the animal form (K2), found in meat, eggs and organs. The best source in the modern diet, however, is rich in fatty dairy products like ice cream, cheese and butter. If you choose to get your vitamin k by plants, I recommend you to eat some fat with them to increase the absorption of fat soluble vitamin. Animals contain many more K2, if they are fed grass.
There is a single research showing that people eating the most high fat dairy had a whopping 69% less chance of heart disease in development that people eating less. This is considered mainly due to the high amount of fat soluble vitamin k in high fat dairy.
If you have a family history of heart disease and are unable for some reason some get lots of vitamin k through diet, then you should consider supplementation. The best way, in my view, is to buy drops of vitamin K2 and take approximately one drop per day. It is a very cheap supplement and lasts for months, it is not gonna break your wallet.
