Vitamin K2 100 mcg | MK-4 | 100 Vcaps | NOW Foods

Vitamin K2 100 mcg as MK-4 from NOW Foods

Are you looking for individual vitamin K2? This vitamin K2 from NOW Foods delivers 100 mcg per vegetable capsule, in the form of menaquinone-4 (MK-4). Each capsule also contains 250 mg of alfalfa powder as a botanical ingredient. A jar contains 100 capsules, a supply for more than three months with daily use.

What vitamin K2 is

Vitamin K is a fat-soluble vitamin that exists in two main forms: vitamin K1 (phylloquinone), primarily from green leafy vegetables, and vitamin K2 (menaquinone), which occurs in fermented products such as natto, certain cheeses, and animal foods, among others. Vitamin K2, in turn, has various subforms, indicated by MK followed by a number. This product uses menaquinone-4, or MK-4 for short, a specific form of vitamin K2 often used in individual K2 supplements. Each capsule contains 100 mcg of it. Besides MK-4, there is also MK-7, another commonly used K2 form that remains in the blood longer; NOW Foods offers both forms, and this product is the MK-4 variant. Which form someone chooses is often a personal preference. MK-4 is the form that also naturally occurs in the body and in certain animal products.

What vitamin K contributes to

Vitamin K contributes to normal blood clotting and to the maintenance of normal bones. These are the two approved health claims for vitamin K, which apply to both K1 and K2 and can also be found in the overview further down this page. They explain why individual vitamin K2 is a conscious choice for those who want to supplement this vitamin specifically, apart from a broad complex or a combined D3-K2 product.

Vegetable capsule with alfalfa

The capsules are vegetable, made from hypromellose, and contain no gelatin. In addition to vitamin K2, there is 250 mg of alfalfa powder (Medicago sativa), a green plant traditionally used as a forage crop and herb, also known as lucerne, and added here as a botanical ingredient. The formula is supplemented with rice fiber and a few functional excipients such as plant-derived magnesium stearate and silicon dioxide. Because the casing is vegetable, the product fits within a vegetarian or vegan diet. The product is free of the fourteen known allergens, which makes it clear for those who pay attention to allergens, and contains no gluten, soy, or milk.

Vitamin K and blood clotting

Because vitamin K plays a role in blood clotting, this is a product that people using anticoagulant medication approach consciously. With this type of medication, such as coumarin derivatives, the safety information on this page and on the label is important; read it carefully before starting. For most people without such medication, it is simply an individual, easy-to-dose vitamin K2 in a convenient vegetable capsule, which you can use alone or in conjunction with, for example, a vitamin D product, as K and D are both fat-soluble vitamins that are often mentioned together. The combination of MK-4 with alfalfa makes it a recognizable, plant-based product. In short: a clear, plant-based vitamin K2 from a brand known for clear labels and controlled production.