What dose of vitamin k2 mk7 is best. The supplement I have says 600mcg per day but I have read higher amounts being recommended.

[Healthworrier]

Improving bone density without medication.

[Met00]

There's no official recommended dose for K2-MK7, apart from in Australia where they say 90-180mcg (note that it's mcg - micrograms - not mg). There is a school of thought that recommends 100mcg per 1000iu of Vit D3, but I don't know how much (if any) evidence there is to support that.

[Healthworrier in reply to Met00]

Thanks. All gets rather confusing. I should have put mcg in my post. In which case 600 mcg is more than enough according to recommendation by Australia.

[HeronNS in reply to Healthworrier]

I've read that an overdose is unlikely with K2. I found my sensitive teeth are better with 200 mcg than they were with 100, so it definitely has an effect, over time, not instantly.

[HeronNS in reply to Met00]

And given we have no idea how much D we manufacture ourselves from sunlight it gets even stranger....

[Met00 in reply to HeronNS]

The only way to know how much Vit D we're getting, either making from sunlight or taking in through supplements and diet, is to get a regular blood test. I had mine tested at the beginning and end of last summer. I'd reduced my supplement from 2400iu to 800iu daily and was shocked to discover that my Vit D blood level dropped from 89 to 70 nmol/litre - despite a huge amount of sunshine, it had gone down at a faster rate than it had been rising prior to that!

[HeronNS in reply to Met00]

I'm only allowed to get Vitamin D tested once a year, and even then the powers that be are reluctant to allow it. This despite fact I'm at a bit of a risk for high levels because I have sarcoidosis. In order to check a seasonal change while I was determining best dosage I had to pay a naturopathic doctor for two appointments plus cost of the test itself.

[Nanaedake]

If your doctor won't or can't test vit D, you can get vit D tested via City Assays in Birmingham. It's an NHS lab and they do a postal kit for approx £30. Or Medichecks do testing kits too. Worth testing at beginning and end of winter to see how much vitamin D you store in the summer and how much you deplete it over the winter.

[jamr]

Best source of K2 is probably natto - Japanese fermented soy beans, std 40g pods give in excess of 400mcg which is enough for 3 days. As its fat soluble like Vit D it does not have to be taken daily. Also has a number of other nutrients including Vit K1, not to be confused with K2. It interacts with Vit D intake. Read 'Vitamin K2 And The Calcium Paradox' by Rheaume Bleue, easy to read and comprehensive to understand all the workings.

[Healthworrier in reply to jamr]

Thanks for the reply.

[jamr]

I also want to make a case for the humble soybean in the form of Natto. A lot people appear to have an issue with the taste, smell and texture so I was apprehensive to try. Even Rheaume Bleue finds the texture intolerable. Now that I have tried, its not an issue for me, I look forward to the snack every few days, and knowing how much our bodies need and use K2 for bones, atherosclerosis and cancer prevention, this is such a gift for good health.