Ingredient Repository · Ingredient

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Ingredient

Vitamin K2

Bioactive vitamin K isoform directing calcium into bone matrix while preventing soft tissue arterial calcification.

What it is

Vitamin K2 (menaquinone, specifically long-chain MK-7 / menaquinone-7) is a highly bioavailable, fat-soluble vitamin with extended systemic half-life. In Velobiotics formulations like Her-Biotics Ageless 50+, Her-Biotics Menopausal, and His-Biotics Ageless 50+, MK-7 is delivered alongside vitamin D3 and live microencapsulated probiotics. It acts as an essential cofactor activating calcium-binding proteins outside the liver.

Also known as: Menaquinone, MK-7, Menaquinone-7

What it does

  • Activates osteocalcin via gamma-carboxylation to bind calcium into hydroxyapatite bone matrix.
  • Carboxylates matrix Gla protein to inhibit ectopic calcium deposition in arterial walls and soft tissues.
  • Supports cardiovascular vascular elasticity, arterial health, and bone mineral density.
  • Synergizes with vitamin D3 to optimize systemic calcium utilization and skeletal distribution.

Amplified by probiotics

Vitamin K2 is naturally synthesized by specific gut bacteria, including Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus, in the lower human gut. Ingested supplemental MK-7 relies on probiotic-supported micellar solubilization for enterocyte uptake. Furthermore, microencapsulated live probiotics foster a healthy distal ileal and colonic microbiota, boosting endogenously synthesized menaquinones. Probiotic SCFA production also lowers luminal pH, which optimizes the expression of intestinal calcium and lipophilic nutrient transporters, promoting concurrent calcium and MK-7 uptake into circulation.

Typical dose

45–180 µg/day

The evidence

Evidence: strong

Clinical trials show long-term supplementation with MK-7 improves carboxylation of osteocalcin and MGP, slowing age-related bone mineral loss and vascular stiffening in postmenopausal women and older adults. (Knapen et al. 2013, Osteoporos Int; van Ballegooijen et al. 2017, Adv Nutr; Maresz K. 2015, Integr Med).

  1. Knapen MH, et al. Three-year low-dose menaquinone-7 supplementation helps decrease bone loss in healthy postmenopausal women. Osteoporos Int. 2013;24(9):2499-2507 PubMed ↗
  2. van Ballegooijen AJ, et al. The Synergistic Interplay between Vitamins D and K for Bone and Cardiovascular Health. Int J Endocrinol. 2017;2017:7454960 PubMed ↗
  3. Maresz K. Proper Calcium Use: Vitamin K2 as a Promoter of Bone and Cardiovascular Health. Integr Med (Encinitas). 2015;14(1):34-39 PubMed ↗

Safety & who should check first

Excellent safety profile with no established upper limit. Individuals taking coumarin-derived blood thinners (warfarin) should avoid MK-7 supplements without medical supervision.