Treating osteopenia and osteoporosis

Hi Michele - I'm in your boat! I purchased the same amount (600mcg) and i'm unsure if it's too much. I've read on line and in these forums....It appears some say it's fine and some say it's not....so I'm not sure....

Any one have more info??

It's all so confusing!  I have read (somewhere) that it doesn't matter but I don't want more problems

I read that 2 oz of natto (the fermented soy which the source of the supplements) has 500 mcg.  No one has ever overdosed by eating natto!   Just like we don't overdose on Vitmain D when we go out in the sun.  If you are nervous, why not just take one every two days?  

No, it's not too high; it's a tiny amount. A microgram is one thousandth of a milligram.Any excess vitamin K is just excreted - it doesn't accumulated.

Yes, I read that too; unlike some of the other fat soluble vitamins apparently we don't store K or K2.  There was a form , K3, which is artificial and was found to cause problems, so is no longer used in supplements or food additives - which implies to me that it used to be used that way.  Perhaps that's what has raised concerns?

It's not too much. Some clinical trials have been carried out using either 15mg or 45mg of MK-4. (That's 15,000mcg or 45,000mcg.) Not all these trials have had the same results, so no firm conclusions have yet been drawn. It seems that supplementation can reduce risk of fractures, but not necessarily increase bone density. More research is needed. The US health department say there's no upper limit given for Vit K2 as they consider the toxicity is low and no adverse effects have been reported. Certainly taking less than 1mg should be fine. However, if in doubt, it's probably better to talk to your GP. When looking online for information, it's best to look at official health sites - such as the NHS or NIH - or academic sites; these have the ending .ac .uk (Britain) or .edu (US). That way you're getting information about research findings, rather than someone's pet theories.

No, I believe K3 is used for animals, not for humans. It would cause problems if taken by humans, but I don't think it has been used in supplements. Not sure about that though.

Probably because it tastes so bad! LOL. I've not tried it though - just read that it's a very acquired taste.

It was implied in an article I read.  I've made a new post about Vitamin K2, but it needs to be moderated because it includes a link to the article.  Hopefully it will be approved as it is from the national institutes of health.

re natto - that's what I've heard, too.  Although a friend of mine says her son, who moved to Japan and has settled there with a Japanese wife, likes it, despite his north american upbringing!  

Me too - I wrote about K2 with reference to the NIH, but without the link. It's being moderated as well. We're probably on the same page

Talking to a GP about Vitamin K2 is probably a waste of time.  Even my qualified dietitian daughter didn't know about K2 until I told her (whereupon she did some reading up on it) and the only rheumatoligist I have met said that studies showed Vitmain K didn't help bones.  But she was referring to North American studies which did not differentiate between K1 and K2.  Japanese research does show that K2 is beneficial.  It also helps deal with risk of cardiovascular problems caused by too much calcium - Vitmain K2 (and magnesium) ushers calcium into the bones where it belongs, rather than letting it be deposited into organs or onto the walls of blood vessesl where we don't want it!  Vitamin D is essential for absorbing calcium, but it does not direct the calcium into the right places, so that's why we need to supplement with more than just D3.

I disagree. It does depend on the GP, and mine will look something up if it's new to her. Also, the Japanese research isn't conclusive. More needs to be done. I want to try the prunes, and the K2 based on my reading of the results of trials carried out on both these, but I am aware that the findings so far don't prove anything. I may benefit, or I may not, but if there are no potential adverse effects, then I don't mind having a go. I think we need to be careful about making definite statements until more is known.

I think my old, now retired, doctor would have been interested.  I now go to a really overworked woman doctor who does not seem to have time for anything other than the barest transfer of info.  The rheumatologist was very full of herself and appeared to be a real pill pusher.  I met her at a bones clnic I attended.

In Japan natto is a regional food.  The inhabitants of the region where natto is consumed regularly have better bone density than the inhabitants in the region where few people eat it.  It was noting this correlation which got the Japanese researchers interested.

In my case my teeth were very sensitive for a long time, but are much less so now, since I have been taking Vitamin K2.  I know D3 also is needed, but I'd been taking D as well as calcium citrate, for years and years, long before any health issues raised their ugly head, and had sensitive teeth for a very long time.  I also felt that my teeth were moving, which my dental hygienist said was common with age, but why, then, has this effect stopped since I started this bone health kick?  Nutritionally, K2 is the only truly new supplement although admittedly I've been trying to improve my already healthy diet as well over the past couple of years since I got sick.  And something has helped my bones improve, the scans don't lie.  My bet is on a combination of the supplements, including K2, and exercise.

Yes, I suspect you're right. I know I was very encouraged when I first came across your post saying your T-score had improved without the use of drugs. I'd love to take part in a trial exploring this!

There was a study done a few years ago, combination of micronutrients osteoporosis are key words that should lead you to it via google.  And this was a few years ago, I'm sure that there is more information now.