Vitamin K2 deficiency symptoms!: I have been... - Thyroid UK

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Vitamin K2 deficiency symptoms!

Justiina profile image
34 Replies

I have been taking K2 for a while, thanks to Greygoose for suggesting it :) I don't remember to take it every day, but recently realized I feel better when I take it. Did some simple googling and found some interesting information.

Symptoms of deficiency :

- nose bleeding

- gastrointestinal bleeding

- tendency to bruise easily

- tendency to bone fractures

- anemia

- cold hands and/or feet

and digestive issues

( I feel my digestive issues lessen when taking vitamin K2)

Was also said that the healthy gut bacteria for a healthy person should be enough for one to be able to produce K2. If gut bacteria is unbalanced it can lead to K2 deficiency in 3 to 4 weeks! Diarrhea or/and antibiotics can be one reason for that.

So anyone taking antibiotics should not only take probiotics and other vitamins, but sounds like K2 is a must as deficiency can develop that fast!

Found this from Finnish site so I cannot provide any useful links here, but I believe this same information can be found in English if some wants to.

That's all folks. Do not skip K2!

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Justiina profile image
Justiina
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34 Replies
phoenix23002 profile image
phoenix23002

Thanks for the info about taking K 2 along with probiotics if one is on antibiotics. I didn't realize that. Good to know. Here is a link showing the relationship between D 3 and K 2 and bone health.

articles.mercola.com/sites/...

Justiina profile image
Justiina in reply to phoenix23002

That is why I have been taking K2 to make sure my bones stay strong. I had no idea it might have other benefits too let alone how fast one can get deficient. That was sort of shocking !

phoenix23002 profile image
phoenix23002 in reply to Justiina

I have also been taking D 3 for a couple of years now and just bought some K 2 and have started taking it.... mainly for skeleton/bones. I read somewhere that the K 2 can help remineralize our teeth? Who knew K 2 could be so important? Thanks again for the info on K 2 and antibiotics. Valuable information. Gosh.. how much we learn from one another.

Heloise profile image
Heloise

Thank you for the reminder about K2 as so many are probably taking D3 and K2 helps with calcium distribution.

silverfox7 profile image
silverfox7

Thank you for that! Just looking at my bruised shins! Is there any particular type of K2 anyone recommends? Been meaning to do this for ages but keep forgetting!

Justiina profile image
Justiina in reply to silverfox7

Mine is menaquinone 7.

silverfox7 profile image
silverfox7 in reply to Justiina

Thank you.

lola1956 profile image
lola1956

Can anyone recommend a brand of k2 and what dosage we should be taking ?

Justiina profile image
Justiina in reply to lola1956

I take Finnish hypoallergenic K2 so unfortunately I cannot recommend any other brand. Mine is 100 micrograms tho and most brands seems to be the same.

silverfox7 profile image
silverfox7 in reply to Justiina

Thank you

greygoose profile image
greygoose in reply to lola1956

I take 'now' Vitamin K2 100 mcg. It says it's the 'Biologically Active Form'.

silverfox7 profile image
silverfox7 in reply to greygoose

Thank you

BadHare profile image
BadHare

Thanks Justina,

I looked up reasons for having blood that takes hours to clot if I cut myself, & thought I might be K2 deficient. I also have most of your lists of symptoms.

I'm veggie, aside from NDT, so started making sure I eat some fermented food every day, to get K2. I eat Kefir for B12 & K2, & it's a great excuse to have more brie! :)

It seems to have helped my skin heal after cuts, with reduced scarring. I still bruise easily, but hope that will subside in time.

Mel

greygoose profile image
greygoose in reply to BadHare

Vit K2 has nothing to do with clotting. That's K1. Which is why they give you anti K medication for heart problems. However, the problem with that is that it also blocks K2.

BadHare profile image
BadHare in reply to greygoose

Thanks Greygoose!

My blood's still like water, but I don't bleed for hours. I thought both were found in fermented foods. I'll have to re-read he info again.

Mel

greygoose profile image
greygoose in reply to BadHare

Oh, I think they probably are. But the point is, you need K1 for clotting, and K2 for calcium. Certainly K1 is in Brie, but I Don't know if K2 is - if you see what I mean. lol

BadHare profile image
BadHare in reply to greygoose

I do ~ aaargh!

It's bad enough keeping my NDT, HRT, calcium, magnesium & D3, & vit C & iron apart! I take my NDT about 4 or 5 am, so as not to clash.

So much confusing information, & this was definitely not in the bumph I read: articles.mercola.com/sites/...

Which D & K2 spray do you take? I try to get things from food, as much as possible.

Do you know if B12 (from kefir) & selenium (from brazils) clash with anything, please?

Mx

greygoose profile image
greygoose in reply to BadHare

I'm sorry, I Don't follow you. What isn't in the article? He seems to say the same as me. Although, admittedly I Don't have time to read it all. I Don't understand your confusion.

I Don't use a spray, I take tablets.

It's all very well eating healthy foods, but do you know how much you can absorb? That's the problem for us hypos, we can't absorb nutrients very well, which is why we have to top up with suppléments.

I Don't see why you can't take iron and vit D together. I've never heard that they clash. And take the vit C any time, that doesn't clash with anything. Take the magnesium at night, it makes you sleepy.

But, why are you taking calcium? That's a very bad think to take. I posted about that yesterday.

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

BadHare profile image
BadHare in reply to greygoose

Sorry Greygoose, I'm probably confused by lack of sleep. I thought you;d said K1 & K2 block each other's absorption. Somebody else must've mentioned a K & magnesium spray. Must keep off here after 9pm! :-/

I was calcium deficient about 8 years ago, & given supplements with D2, which I think caused the issue in the first place, when I swapped dairy for soya products. I'm was on calcium & D3, but mainly take the D3 alone if I've eaten a lot of dairy, or occasionally the last of my Ca, Mg, D3, if I haven't.

I believe calcium prevents iron absorption, so take the iron with fruit in the afternoon. Also Vit C affects copper absorption.

Don't they all affect the uptake up T3, T4, etc, from NDT within 4 hours? I was only leaving 1 or 2, so now take that when I'm awake during the night. It certainly seems a bit more effective, as I'd been flagging in the afternoons again, from October.

I've only been on NDT for 6 months, but noticed another change for the better, when I upped my probiotics, & reduced junk intake further.

Mel

greygoose profile image
greygoose in reply to BadHare

No, I didn't say anything about K1 blocking K2! lol

You're not still consuming soy, are you? If so, that could explain a lot! Soy blocks the absorption of copper, and all sorts of other nutrients, as well as affecting your body's use of thyroid hormone replacement.

Calcium binds with iron. Both calcium and iron bind with thyroid hormone. I Don't think other suppléments bind thyroid hormone, but best to take them 2 hours away from levo and T3. For vit D, iron and calcium (although you shouldn't be taking calcium!) and HRT, leave four hours.

To recap, vit D will raise your calcium levels, so you need to take vit K2 to make sure that calcium goes into the bones, rather than tissues such as the heart and the kidneys. It's not a good idea to take caclium suppléments, as explained in the link I gave you.

It is not necessary to eat a lot of dairy products to get calcium naturally, a lot of veggies contain calcium.

As you are taking vit D3 and magnesium, try taking a little zinc with them, as they all work together.

BadHare profile image
BadHare in reply to greygoose

Sometimes, I think I dream things...

I ate huge quantities of soy till I found out it was goitrogenic,, & not healthy if it's not fermented. I'm sure being Vegan did quite a bit of damage to my health, so I'm back to being Veggie (NDT aside) & feel much better. Tofu is now a treat, once or twice some weeks. The greens I'd been cooking it with are supposed to be goitrogenic, but I still eat them for calcium.

I think it might've been read in one of your other posts about leaving 4 hours between various things. I have two sleep periods most nights, so started taking my NDT then, rather than an hour before breakfast. It does seem to increase the efficacy, as I felt I'd need to increase the dose at the start of winter.

I've upped my nut intake for minerals, started eating eggs, & have just looked at a combination Mg & zinc, though it has calcium in. My dairy intake is fermented kefir & ryazhenka, which I started making for B12 & Ks. Fermented dairy is supposed to be healthier.

It's great since starting NDT, that I can now eat an extra 400 calories a day, so getting more nutrients has helped a lot. Still no hair growth, but my nails are growing without pits, & at the same rate they did in 1978, & my heels have healed!

This website is marvellous!!! :)

Mel

greygoose profile image
greygoose in reply to BadHare

Glad to hear you're making progress!

But you do know that tofu is unfermented, Don't you? Do you actually like it? I think it's ghastly! lol

Don't worry about goitrogens, if they affected you, you'd know. I knew strawberries were a no-no long before I was even diagnosed! Just eat what agrees with you.

But, of course, soy is an exception to that rule - it's an exception to every rule!

BadHare profile image
BadHare in reply to greygoose

Thanks Greygoose!

I knew tofu wasn't fermented, but only found it was goitrogenic after starting NDT. I used to eat tofu most days, with huge quantities of cruciferous veg. Some types aren't nice, & it's very different when it's fresh, ie, not like eating a pencil rubber! Marinaded tofu with a portobello mushroom & sourdough is my equivalent junk food treat to a burger. I don't feel any different from eating less. & no longer have 500mls of soy milk a day, so might up my tofu & veg.

My goitre is small, but no longer visible after a 6 months on NDT. :)

Bad news about strawberries, that's a new thing to avoid. though I only have them occasionally in summer. Any other fruit to beware of?

Mel

greygoose profile image
greygoose in reply to BadHare

Nothing to beware of except soy.

Forget goitrogens. As I said, you'll know if they affect you.

Soy is different. It isn't just a goitrogen. it also stops the thyroid hormone getting into the cells.

Strawberries are goitrogenic, but if they Don't affect you in anyway, keep eating them. I couldn't eat them, they made me very ill. However, now my gland is no longer working, I can eat them again without any effect.

Continue with the veggies, but drop the tofu, that's my advice.

BadHare profile image
BadHare in reply to greygoose

It's disturbing how much certain foods are promoted as being healthy. I'd just thought it was the D2 in soya milk that caused my D deficiency & dental problems. I'll add tofu to my list of foods to have if I go to a Chinese restaurant, which is very rarely.

Enjoy your strawberries, & thanks again for all the advice!

Mx

greygoose profile image
greygoose in reply to BadHare

You're welcome. :)

Justiina profile image
Justiina in reply to BadHare

K2 from liver, kidneys, eggs, some cheese and natto.

I think eating fermented food is recommended so you get good bacteria that can produce K2 not that all fermented food contains it. So to me it looks like a combo. Not just eating food that contains K2 works. Same with vitamin B as that is produced by bacteria as well.

One can eat ridiculously healthy but with lacking gut bacteria not getting all the vitamins needed.

BadHare profile image
BadHare in reply to Justiina

Thanks Justina.

I don't eat meat, & have never seen natto on sale, in even the best wholefood shops in the UK. It also looks disgusting, & from what I've read, doesn't taste much better!

I've been eating kefir every day, & have brie or an egg a few times a week. so my B12 & K2 are better. My K1 should be ok, as I eat a lot of veg, but Greygoose says the K's block absorption of each other, which is what I'd like more information on. Te spray sounds good, though I prefer my nutrients as food.

Mel

Justiina profile image
Justiina in reply to BadHare

I just learned that there is a lot of K2 in roquefort, gouda and edam. So cheeses like that seems to be beneficial.

Absorbing K1 from food is like 10%.

BadHare profile image
BadHare in reply to Justiina

Thanks.

I don't like those, so stick to brie & kefir.

Not sure what you men by "like 10%". We can only get 10% from food?

Justiina profile image
Justiina in reply to BadHare

Well according to studies if the total amount of K1 in veggies you consume/day is 700 micrograms you only absorb 10% of it.

BadHare profile image
BadHare in reply to Justiina

Just as well I eat lots!

Pinkpeony profile image
Pinkpeony

I use a spray which contains vit D3 and K2 .

I hate taking tablets so this is great .

Pp

walker2037 profile image
walker2037

How much do you take?

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