Vitamin K deficiency can be dangerous. It isn’t easy to come by in our diets and can lead to serious problems. One form of this vitamin is essential for good bones and a healthy heart.
There are two kinds of Vitamin K: phylloquinone (known as K1) and menaquinone (K2). Leafy green vegetables are a good source of K1 and they are important to get the blood to clot properly. Vitamin K2 though is not as easy to get into the body and that is why it is so easy to become deficient.
K2 is essential to metabolise calcium and without enough of it can cause weak bones and make it easy for them to fracture. It is also important as a way to keep calcium out of your arteries. Without enough K2 in your system the conversion of matrix GLA protein, which is important to stop calcification, is blocked. This means calcium will build up in your arteries causing them to harden and increase plaque.
Vitamin K2 can help prevent this. Research also shows it can help with bone health, with K2 increasing hip-bone density in postmenopausal women. It can also help with liver and prostrate health.
However, the only food that has lots of K2 is a Japanese soybean dish called Natto. This has an unpleasant smell and taste so it isn’t too popular unless you have a taste for such things. So it becomes much easier for us in the west here to take it as a supplement; however if you are on Warfarin, you need to talk with your doctor before taking it.
To get accurate information as to what vitamins you are deficient in visit your natural health practitioner and have a hair or saliva sensitivity test. These will tell you where you are at with your sensitivities and toxins, and usually what vitamins you are deficient in and how these are affecting your hormone levels. | 
