Ingredient framework; direct source links are available in the studies library when published.
How it works
Transform -- essential cofactor for the enzyme gamma-glutamyl carboxylase, which activates Gla-domain proteins
Build -- activates osteocalcin, enabling calcium binding within bone matrix, and activates clotting factors II, VII, IX, and X for coagulation
Maintain -- activates matrix Gla protein, which inhibits calcification of blood vessels and soft tissue
Exchange -- as a fat-soluble vitamin, K1 (from leafy greens) is absorbed inefficiently from plant sources -- often under 20% -- because it stays bound to chloroplast membranes, whereas K2 forms in supplements or fermented/animal foods are absorbed considerably more efficiently, a mechanistic reason dietary source matters as much as total intake
Maintain -- the vitamin K-dependent protein Gas6 additionally supports growth-arrest signaling and cell-surface receptor function in vascular and immune tissue, a less-studied Gla-protein role beyond clotting and bone
Form matters
The same nutrient can be made in very different forms -- and a study done on one form does not automatically apply to another. Methylcobalamin is not cyanocobalamin; magnesium glycinate is not magnesium oxide; a whole-food extract is not the synthetic isolate that was studied. Two things decide whether what is in the bottle behaves like the research: the exact form, and independent lab verification (a Certificate of Analysis) that the form and dose on the label are truly what is inside. Without a COA, you are trusting a label, not the science.
The science on Vitamin K
Powered by CellWell.lifeBalanced by design -- we show supporting and contradicting findings. Search all studies
Related reading
Articles that go deeper on Vitamin K.