Below is an approximation of this video’s audio content material. To see any graphs, charts, graphics, photographs, and quotes to which Dr. Greger could also be referring, watch the above video.
Vitamin Okay. Wait, I learn about nutritional vitamins A, B, C, D, and E, however what occurred to nutritional vitamins F, G, H, I, and J? It’s not alphabetical. Vitamin Okay stands for coagulation––or not less than it does in German. That is the basic position vitamin Okay performs in serving to the blood to clot. But over the previous couple of a long time, there may be proof it has different roles within the well being of our bones, coronary heart, and mind. It variety of jogs my memory of vitamin D. We know vitamin D is necessary for bone well being, however then there have been all kinds of different controversial features ascribed to it, some of which have been confirmed and a few disproven. What about vitamin Okay? For bone well being, for instance, is the hyperlink between vitamin Okay and osteoporosis delusion or actuality?
It seems the findings on vitamin Okay and bone are conflicting and unclear. It doesn’t assist that some of the main trials have been discovered to be problematic to say the least, as in “likely fraudulent,” containing “impossible data,” with investigators admitting to finish fabrication. And so, for those who do a scientific evaluation eliminating any fraud, we discover that there isn’t any proof that vitamin Okay supplementation impacts bone mineral density or vertebral fractures.
What concerning the coronary heart? Researchers studied vitamin Okay supplementation for the prevention of heart problems. There is a vitamin Okay-activated protein in your blood that binds up extra calcium, and helps stop calcium from being deposited into the partitions of your arteries and stiffening them. So, for those who give folks further vitamin Okay, will that defend folks’s arteries from calcification? It sounds good in idea, however no; vitamin Okay doesn’t seem to constantly stop development of calcification, atherosclerosis, or arterial stiffness.
For instance, artery calcification is especially frequent in sufferers with power kidney illness, which may result in elevated artery stiffness, which is a vital threat issue for coronary heart assaults and strokes. An earlier trial didn’t discover any profit on coronary artery calcification between the vitamin Okay and placebo teams, however they have been utilizing variety of a small dose. So, these trials used a whopping dose day by day for a yr and…nada. Vitamin Okay supplementation didn’t enhance vascular stiffness or different measures of artery well being. In reality, one research on the impact of vitamin Okay supplementation on artery calcification in sufferers with diabetes discovered that calcification tended to enhance after supplementation with a sort of vitamin Okay present in a slimy fermented soy meals referred to as natto.
Now, these with greater ranges of vitamin Okay circulating of their bloodstreams do are inclined to have decrease ranges of irritation, but it surely’s no marvel. Where is vitamin Okay discovered? The predominant dietary type of vitamin Okay within the human food regimen comes from darkish inexperienced leafy greens and cruciferous greens. So, how did folks get excessive ranges of their blood? Eating broccoli. Those with greater ranges of vitamin Okay of their blood have been consuming extra greens and fewer meat. No marvel that they had decrease ranges of irritation.
The advisable sufficient day by day consumption for vitamin Okay is about at 70 micrograms a day in Europe, and between 90 and 120 micrograms a day right here within the United States. Just two leaves of kale has over 70 micrograms. And 1 / 4 cup of cooked kale will get anybody all of the Vitamin Okay they want for the day.
Now, there may be vitamin Okay present in meat, dairy, eggs, averaging about 5 to 10 micrograms per serving. In different phrases, they’re even overwhelmed out by iceberg lettuce, which is usually water, however nonetheless accommodates about two to 3 instances extra vitamin Okay. Ah, however that’s vitamin K1, and what’s present in animal merchandise is usually vitamin K2. Do you want vitamin K2? Apparently not. Once you get sufficient plant-based vitamin K1, there’s no established requirement for vitamin K2, as a result of it hasn’t been confirmed that vitamin K2 has results which can be completely different from vitamin K1. They each act the identical approach within the physique; thus, there’s not even sufficient knowledge to take vitamin K2 under consideration in any respect. So, when the advisable sufficient day by day intakes are set, they’re solely speaking about getting sufficient vitamin K1 from crops––principally inexperienced greens.
In reality, most of the bone trials that flopped used the Vitamin K2 present in animal merchandise, and most of the failed coronary heart research used vitamin K2 as properly. Okay, however although there may be presently an absence of randomized trial proof to assist a helpful position for vitamin Okay in stopping the worsening of heart problems, or bone well being, what if that have been to alter? What if all of the sudden vitamin K2 was proven to have some distinctive advantages? Well, guess what? The micro organism in your intestine make vitamin K2. That’s why fermented meals have vitamin K2. Bacteria make it. And the micro organism in your intestine not solely make it, but it surely will get absorbed out of your colon up into your system, contributing a major quantity of the human vitamin Okay requirement simply in case you miss a pair days of greens.
Vitamin K1 is made by crops, and is the first dietary type. Then there are a dozen or so varieties of vitamin K2, that are synthesized by micro organism, together with a number of varieties within the human intestine. The exception, although, is a sort of Vitamin K2 referred to as menaquinone 4––MK4––which is endogenously synthesized in mammals, and due to this fact is present in animal merchandise. Now, I don’t know if any of you observed, however we’re mammals too. It has constantly been proven that vitamin K1 from greens is endogenously transformed inside your physique to the vitamin K2 in animal merchandise. You’re made out of meat too, although it took till 2010 earlier than we found the human biosynthetic enzyme that does it. So, there’s no cause in any respect to take any kind of vitamin Okay complement. Eat your greens. In reality, when vitamin K2 dietary supplements have been checked out, researchers discovered important issues in phrases of contaminants and mislabeling. Eat your greens.
Now, vitamin K2 seems in greater concentrations in sure tissues, together with the mind. Again, we make vitamin K2 from the vitamin K1 we eat in greens, however possibly further vitamin K2 would possibly assist? If you measure vitamin Okay ranges within the blood and brains of centenarians (those that reside to not less than 100), concentrations of circulating vitamin K1 from greens, however not cerebral vitamin K2—not the vitamin K2 within the mind—was positively correlated with a variety of cognitive measures. Why? Likely as a result of they have been consuming inexperienced greens, and inexperienced greens don’t simply have vitamin Okay. Green leafy greens are essentially the most concentrated supply of lutein, the attention well being nutrient that’s taken up into the mind, and is related to cognitive efficiency throughout the lifespan. And so, in these centenarians, circulating vitamin K1 and lutein concentrations have been extremely correlated. So, it’s arduous to tease out precisely what in greens was so helpful. It’s like if you see knowledge displaying decrease circulating vitamin K1 ranges within the blood stream are related to elevated threat of all-cause mortality. This means decrease vitamin K1 ranges have been correlated with a shorter lifespan. Well duh; vitamin K1 is present in greens, and of all of the dietary elements correlating with all-cause mortality, one of the best proof seems to assist the consumption of inexperienced leafy greens and salads to scale back all-cause mortality. In different phrases, eat your greens.
Please take into account volunteering to assist out on the positioning.
