The new review was published in the journal Children. It was the work of Dr. Katarzyna Maresz, PhD, president of the International Science and Health Foundation, which is a Polish organization that focuses on disseminating maternal and infant health information. Dr Maresz was joined in the review by Dr Agnieszka Kozioł-Kozakowska, PhD, of Jagiellonian University Medical College in Krakow.
The authors lay out the differences between the various forms of vitamin K. Vitamin K1, or phylloquinone, found in leafy green vegetables, is associated with proper blood coagulation. Vitamin K2, or menaquinone, has two forms, menaquinone 4 (MK4) and menaquinone 7 (MK7).
MK7 arises in nature as a byproduct of fermentation. The fermented Japanese soybean food called natto is the biggest endogenous source of MK7, which is also found in unpasteurized cheeses.
“Vitamin K2 has gained more appreciation in the recent years due to its longer half-life, better bioavailability, and extra-hepatic activity in comparison with vitamin K1,” the authors noted.
Substance critical in many bodily functions
The authors noted that vitamin K2 is linked to the activation of proteins that are important in a wide variety of functions important for growing children. These include dental health, strong bones and joints, proper brain development, healthy cardiovascular system development and function, and more.
The country with the highest natural intake of vitamin K2 is Japan, which has been postulated as one of the reasons for that county’s very low rate of cardiovascular disease compared with other industrialized nations. It also comes into play in countries where a lot of unpasteurized cheese is consumed, such as France, and might be a factor in the so-called ‘French paradox,’ in which the rate of cardiovascular disease in that country is lower than what might be expected given the substantial amount of saturated fat in the diet.