Last week I blogged about the benefits of Vitamin K2. I just ran across a recent study in the American Journal of Medicine (March, 2013) finding that lower levels of Vitamin K in the body are linked to an increased risk of knee osteoarthritis. The form examined in the study was Vitamin K1.
To me, this was a bit surprising because Vitamin K1 is generally associated with blood clotting. It is the actions of Vitamin K2 that are more closely related to joint health. In a nutshell, Vitamin K2 keeps calcium deposits out of the joints in which it can form bone spurs, one of the characteristics of osteoarthritis, and puts the calcium into the bones themselves. We want nice strong bones.
I suspect that what is going on is that Vitamin K2 is, in fact, the active compound here. If a person is getting enough Vitamin K1, they are probably getting enough Vitamin K2. This yet another reason to make sure we are getting enough Vitamin K2.