Why We Put Vitamin K Into The ThinkPharm Formula (Vitamin K Part 1)
When people are taught about vitamin K in biology class, it is often said that vitamin K is needed for proper blood clotting and wound healing (1). In reality, there is more than one form of vitamin K. There is vitamin K1 and vitamin K2 (1). Vitamin K1 is responsible for the effects on blood clotting and wound healing (1).
The adequate intake level is thought to be 1 microgram per kg of body weight in the UK (2) or 120micrograms if you’re male and 90 micrograms if you’re female in the US (3). These levels were established before a lot of the research into the benefits of vitamin K2 (4), so it only covered the vitamin K1 requirements for blood clotting and wound healing.
Vitamin K1 is mainly found in vegetables and in high amounts in leafy green vegetables (1). Vitamin K2 is found in animal products. Animals (which includes humans) can convert vitamin K1 to vitamin K2. As a result, we can find vitamin K2 in animal products and fermented foods (1), but we can also convert it from the vitamin K1 we consume.
Vitamin K’s main role is to help modify certain proteins that the body produces (1). The purpose of these vitamin K dependent proteins is to bind calcium and take it to certain places in the body (1). Without vitamin K these proteins don’t get “activated” so they cannot properly carry out their function (1).
Recently researchers have been looking at it in the context of COVID-19. They state vitamin K not only has a role in amplifying coagulation but also can act as an anticoagulant under certain circumstances (5). COVID-19 is thought to be fatal due to excess blood clotting (5). These researchers also state vitamin K can regulate the immune system and reduce inflammation (5). The importance of reducing inflammation is explained in our B-vitamins and boron articles.
Meanwhile, other researchers found that patients with poor outcomes in COVID-19 were those who had their vitamin K dependent proteins in an inactive state (6), which is a sign of low vitamin K levels. At the time of writing, there have not been any supplementation trials to confirm the idea that vitamin K helps COVID-19.
Here’s a bunch of other areas where certain human trials/studies have started to observe some benefits (although more research is needed for some of these uses):
Cardiac output (increasing cardiac capacity), also known as VO2max or your ability to do cardio (7).
Insulin resistance and blood sugar regulation problems (diabetes) (10) (11).
Nerve damage/pain (12).
Asthma (13).
Coronary artery calcifications which reduce blood flow to heart (14).
Brain function (15).
Reduction in fractures (16).
Some of these trials were looking at vitamin K1 and some of these studies were looking at vitamin K2.
Some nutritionists, researchers, doctors and people in the alternative health community are of the opinion that the body doesn’t convert vitamin K1 to K2 very well. There is some truth to this. This is partly because plant fibre (20) interferes with the absorption but also because it needs to be consumed alongside fat for absorption (as it is a fat soluble vitamin).
While it is true that vitamin K1 doesn’t completely get converted into K2, research actually shows that taking 1000 micrograms of vitamin K1 in supplement form maximises the vitamin K2-dependent effects of activating certain proteins (21).
So, as long as we are having this level from a supplement, we should be getting all the benefits of vitamin K2.
Well… why not put vitamin K1 and K2 in the supplement… just in case there’s some further benefits from vitamin K2? This was our thinking originally.
Read our part 2 on Vitamin K to see why we thought it was unacceptable to use commercially available forms of vitamin K2 and to learn about the flaws in the research implying vitamin K1 is not as good.
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For more information about how taking the ThinkPharm Formula would improve your life check out our other articles about how it was designed.
For a vitamin supplement that doesn’t profit from your misinformation and actually tries to improve your health, get your hands on the ThinkPharm Formula. Check out the formula on our product page.
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Disclaimer: Food supplements are intended to correct nutritional deficiencies, maintain an adequate intake of certain nutrients, or to support specific physiological functions. The ThinkPharm Formula (or any other food supplement) is not a medicine and therefore cannot and does not claim to treat or prevent disease. All content on this website is for educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. None of the scientific studies quoted on this website qualify as proof or implication that ThinkPharm Health's supplements treat or prevent disease. Findings of scientific studies do not always represent reality. It is always difficult for scientific studies to reach accurate conclusions regarding nutrition and its relationship to diseases. Please consult your healthcare professional before making any significant changes to your diet and lifestyle. ThinkPharm Health is not liable for risks or issues associated with using or acting on information from this website.
Health claims you can trust
All the health claims that are listed below and on our supplement package have been authorised by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA).
The EFSA reviews the evidence on different vitamins and minerals to ensure that there is enough evidence to make certain health claims.
Although the UK is no longer part of the EU it still relies on the EFSA's judgement for legally allowed claims.
Below are all the health claims we are allowed to use for the ThinkPharm Formula based on the abundance of evidence.