Which Vitamin K2?

[linguistmama]

I know butter oil is good, but it's so expensive! Does it matter what other brand of K2 that I try? And is there a recommended amount? I have no idea if I'm deficient, but I would assume so based on past diet. I also can't tolerate oral magnesium and was wondering if K2 might help.

[tanyalynn]

I've never tried butter oil, so I can't compare it. I've used, and given to my son, Thorne's liquid K2 (600 drops per bottle, each drop is 1mg, about $50/bottle) and Carlson's 5mg K2 capsules (I'd have to look up # of capsules, but I think a bit more than half the price of the Thorne's). Both are the MK-4 form of K2 (the MK-7 form, which is from fermented things, is dosed completely differently, much lower doses, and it seems like chemically it may work somewhat differently--but mostly if you read about dosages, make sure you are clear which one is being discussed).

Thorne's product has fewer ingredients, but is more expensive. As far as I can tell, they have comparable effectiveness based on dosage. What I mean is, I think it really does take 5 drops of Thorne's to equal 1 capsule of the Carlson's.

You can read about dosages and studies in the Files section of the vitamin K yahoo group, it's worth joining even if you never post.

My best guess, FWIW, is that 1-2 mg for most adults is plenty, and it would either help or not at those dosages.

In case anything rings a bell, I'll share our oddities. In my family, we have nosebleeds in childhood, and we bruise easily as adults (maybe as kids? hard to say), and it took a while but I figured out that taking cod liver oil exacerbates either one (or tooth sensitivity or an odd dry skin thing I sometimes get). Another user here clued me in that the EPA in fish oils, one of the omega-3 fatty acids, is a blood thinner, and that's likely the reason we react oddly to it. If I'm not taking cod liver oil or any fish oil-type supps, I think 5mg would be plenty for me, but the amount goes up a lot if I do (so I mostly don't). High doses of vitamin A (just as A, not in a fish oil), say 25,000 IU, increases the K2 I need as well, 10 mg per day seems to work (I don't have the tooth sensitivity or dry skin or easy bruising).

Have you considered (or do you already use) cell salts? I think they're working as-advertised for me and the kids, they're supposed to improve how we utilize nutrients, and I know that since I've started taking them, I've had one health problem (recent onset) improve a lot, and I've had fewer issues with sensitive teeth (my early indicator for when I need more minerals).

[linguistmama]

None of the blood stuff seems to be an issue for us. I started taking bioplasma and it's awesome! I noticed an immediate lift in energy and mood even though I had been feeling pretty good already. I need to get one of the cell salt books to see which specific salts might be useful for us.

I think maybe I'll get some of the Carlson's K and see if it makes a difference.