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Foundational

Vitamin K2 · Vitamin K2 (MK-7)

Vitamin D3's essential partner, directs calcium to bones instead of arteries.

B
Evidence grade
Human RCTs, biomarker outcomes
Strongest study
Tier 1 · 1 linked study

Short answer

Buy this as a D3+K2 combo unless you specifically need one alone. MK-7 form has 3× longer half-life than MK-4.

Product and dose overview

Vitamin K2 (Vitamin K2 (MK-7)) is a foundational with evidence grade B, meaning it is supported by human RCTs. We track 6 products containing Vitamin K2. Typical doses range from 0.09 to 43 mg per serving. The top-ranked product scores 8.9 out of 10 on our composite scale (dose, evidence, price, testing, transparency). Prices range up to $69.00 per month.

Evidence grade: B Products in database: 6 Category: Foundational

Top Vitamin K2 products

ProductBrandDosePrice/mo3rd-party testedScore
Vitamin D3+K2Nordic Naturals0.09 mg$19.95Yes8.9
Basic Nutrients 2/DayThorne HealthTech0.4 mg$32.00Yes7.9
AG Vitamin D3+K2AG1 (Athletic Greens)0.1 mg$29.00Yes7.8
Daily Longevity BlendAgeMate0.2 mg$69.00Yes7.0
Seed DM-02 Daily MultivitaminSeed Health43 mg$39.99Yes6.7

Scores are editorial judgments, not a scientific standard. See how we score.

What it is

A form of vitamin K found in fermented foods (natto, aged cheese). It activates proteins that direct calcium into bones and teeth and keep it out of arteries and soft tissues.

Why people take it

The 3-year Knapen trial (2013) showed 180 μg MK-7/day slowed arterial stiffening and improved bone density in postmenopausal women. K2 status is critical when supplementing D3.

Our verdict

Buy this as a D3+K2 combo unless you specifically need one alone. MK-7 form has 3× longer half-life than MK-4.

Structure & class

Menaquinone-7 (all-trans). Activates osteocalcin (bone) and matrix Gla protein (arterial calcium inhibitor).

Mechanism & clinical data

Knapen 2013 showed 3 years of 180 μg MK-7/day improved bone-mineral density and reduced arterial stiffening (aortic pulse-wave velocity). MK-4 requires 45 mg/day (Japan) whereas MK-7 works at 180 μg.

Pharmacokinetics

~72 hours (MK-7); ~1 hour (MK-4).

Dose & forms

Trial dose
0.18 mg
/ day
Range in trials
0.09 to 0.36 mg
/ day
Common forms
MK-7 softgel, MK-7 combined with D3, MK-4 (higher-dose)

What to watch out for

Interacts with blood thinners (warfarin), consult your doctor. All-trans MK-7 is the active form; cis-MK-7 is inactive filler.

Safety limits and interactions

When a product exceeds the UL or contains an ingredient with clinically significant interactions, a "Review advised" flag appears on its product page and links here.

Known drug interactions
Contraindicated with warfarin and other vitamin K antagonists (phenprocoumon, acenocoumarol) — directly antagonizes their anticoagulant effect. No known interaction with DOACs (apixaban, rivaroxaban).
Safety note
No formal UL (FNB states there is insufficient toxicity data to derive one). The Council for Responsible Nutrition established a Highest Observed Intake of 375 mcg/day for supplemental MK-7 in 2025.

Source: https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminK-HealthProfessional/

Where this dose comes from

The trial dose above is our editorial pick from the published human trials for this ingredient. We choose the dose that the best-available studies used on the endpoint most relevant to longevity. The range shows the lowest and highest doses tested in published trials. The landmark studies below are the papers we read to set it. You can click through and check our work.

When new trials publish, our automated sweeps flag them. If a new study materially changes the dose, we update it through editorial review and record the old dose, new dose, and the triggering study in every affected product's recommendation history. The dose is never changed automatically.

Regulatory status

EUFood supplement, health claims authorised
USDietary supplement
UKFood supplement
CANHP

Timeline

Regulatory events, evidence grade changes, and key research milestones for Vitamin K2, most recent first. Studies link to the paper; regulatory entries name and link the responsible authority.

  • 2025-04 Regulatory single source
    EU Court sharpens the bar for botanical health claims
    A Court of Justice of the European Union ruling in April 2025 further tightened the requirements for how botanical ingredients (herbs, plant extracts) can be marketed with health claims in the EU, effectively removing much of the flexibility of the on-hold list.
  • 2024-06 Regulatory confirmed
    EU report identifies 117 supplement substances as potential health risks
    The HoA Working Group on Food Supplements (26 European countries) published its first report evaluating 117 substances used in food supplements. Of these, 65 were assessed as likely novel foods, 6 were already regulated, 34 had insufficient data, and 12 were prioritized for Article 8 restriction under Regulation (EC) No 1925/2006. The 12 priority substances include ashwagandha, curcumin, melatonin, piperine, St. John's wort, coumarin, p-synephrine, maca, holy basil, Melaleuca, black cohosh, and L-tryptophan. The report drew on 1,500 RASFF alerts reviewed between 2017 and mid-2022.
  • 2013 Research milestone
    Knapen et al. 2013 (Thromb Haemost)
    180 μg MK-7 daily for 3 years slowed arterial stiffening in postmenopausal women.
  • 2006-12 Regulatory confirmed
    EU Health Claims Regulation adopted
    Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006 laid down harmonised rules for nutrition and health claims made on foods, including supplements. Only claims listed in the EU Register of authorised claims can be used. Rejected botanical claims are held in a separate on-hold list.
  • 1997 Regulatory confirmed
    EU introduces the Novel Food Regulation
    Regulation (EC) No 258/97 required any food or food ingredient without a history of consumption in the EU before 15 May 1997 to be authorised before being placed on the market. This is the framework that captures NMN, spermidine as a supplement ingredient, urolithin A, and many other longevity actives.
2026 evidence refresh

Vitamin K2 (MK-7) activates proteins that direct calcium into bone and away from arteries, slowing vascular calcification in trials.

Verified 2026-08-04. We update this section as new peer-reviewed trials land.

Human RCT base
30+
peer-reviewed randomised trials
Largest single trial
n = 365
In elderly men with aortic valve calcification, MK-7 (720 mcg/day) plus vitamin D3 slowed the progression of aortic valve calcification and reduced inactive matrix Gla protein levels versus placebo. source

Best-supported claim

Vitamin K2's best-supported effect is slowing vascular and valvular calcification through activation of matrix Gla protein (MGP), a calcification inhibitor. The AVC Trial, the largest K2-specific RCT to date, found MK-7 plus vitamin D3 slowed aortic valve calcification progression over 24 months in 365 elderly men (https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12785717/table/ijms-27-00298-t003/). Smaller trials reinforce this mechanism: a 6-month RCT in 68 people with type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease found MK-7 (360 mcg/day) improved arterial stiffness and reduced uncarboxylated MGP, and a 3-year trial in 244 healthy postmenopausal women found MK-7 (180 mcg/day) improved arterial elasticity. A 2023 systematic review of 14 RCTs found consistent reductions in the uncarboxylated (inactive) MGP biomarker across studies, though outcome data on hard clinical endpoints like heart attacks remains limited.

Not supported by the evidence base

Marketers frequently claim vitamin K2 prevents heart attacks and strokes directly, but no trial has yet shown this. The evidence base consists of surrogate markers (arterial stiffness, calcification scores, MGP biomarkers) and small-to-moderate trials, not hard cardiovascular event reduction in a large outcomes trial. A 2024 meta-analysis of vitamin K supplementation and cardiovascular risk factors examined markers like blood glucose, lipids, and blood pressure and found effects, but these are risk-factor changes, not confirmed reductions in heart attacks or strokes (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38282652/). For bone health, the evidence is genuinely mixed rather than uniformly positive: a 2019 updated meta-analysis of 36 studies found vitamin K reduced clinical fracture odds in postmenopausal or osteoporotic patients (OR 0.72), but this differs by vitamin K form and population, and general healthy-adult bone density claims are not as strongly supported as the osteoporosis-specific fracture data (https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00198-019-04949-0).

Typical dose

90-360 mcg/day of MK-7 (menaquinone-7), the long-acting form; some cardiovascular trials use up to 720 mcg/day

Safety

Vitamin K2 has a strong safety record in trials up to 24 months, including in dialysis patients, with no significant excess adverse events reported versus placebo. The RenaKvit study in 190 hemodialysis patients found MK-7 was safe and well tolerated over 24 months (https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12785717/table/ijms-27-00298-t003/). The main clinical caution is for people on warfarin or other vitamin K antagonist blood thinners, where vitamin K intake directly counteracts the drug's mechanism and must be kept consistent and medically supervised.

Interactions worth flagging

  • warfarin and other vitamin K antagonist blood thinners

Three recent studies to know

  • Vitamin K2 and D in Patients With Aortic Valve Calcification: A Randomized Double-Blind Clinical Trial
    Circulation 2022

    Read study →
  • Effects of vitamin K supplementation on bone mineral density and osteocalcin carboxylation: a meta-analysis and systematic review of randomized controlled trials
    Bone & Joint Research 2024

    Read study →
  • Efficacy of vitamin K2 in the prevention and treatment of postmenopausal osteoporosis: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials
    Frontiers in Public Health 2022

    Read study →

Landmark studies

Found in these products (6)

All products in our catalog that contain Vitamin K2, ranked by our overall score. Ranking is editorial, never paid.

Nordic Naturals
Vitamin
Vitamin per serving
Vitamin D3 50 µg+ Vitamin K2 90 µg
Price per serving
$0.33$19.95 · 60 servings
Testing
3rd-party listed · public lab certificate

Status as recorded in the catalog from brand materials; not independently verified by NO1GEVITY.

Score & research context 8.9/10

Editorial score, not proof that this product works. Research-dose calculations are not dosing advice.

100%
of trial dose
$0.33
per research-dose day, not label serving
0Trial dose2×
Catalog price · Confirm current price with www.nordic.com
Thorne HealthTech
Multi/greens
Ingredients listed
5 ingredients listedlargest listed: Magnesium 20 mg
Price per serving
$1.07$32.00 · 30 servings
Testing
3rd-party listed · no public lab certificate

Multi-ingredient bundle

Status as recorded in the catalog from brand materials; not independently verified by NO1GEVITY.

Score & research context 7.9/10

Editorial score, not proof that this product works. Research-dose calculations are not dosing advice.

100%
of trial dose
$1.07
per research-dose day, not label serving
0Trial dose2×
Catalog price · Confirm current price with www.thorne.com
AG1 (Athletic Greens)
Longevity stack
Ingredients listed
2 ingredients listedlargest listed: Vitamin K2 100 µg
Price per serving
$0.05$29.00 · 600 servings
Testing
3rd-party listed · no public lab certificate

Multi-ingredient bundle

Status as recorded in the catalog from brand materials; not independently verified by NO1GEVITY.

Score & research context 7.8/10

Editorial score, not proof that this product works. Research-dose calculations are not dosing advice.

100%
of trial dose
$0.10
per research-dose day, not label serving
0Trial dose2×
Catalog price · Confirm current price with drinkag1.com
Longevity stack
Ingredients listed
8 ingredients listedlargest listed: Glycine 700 mg
Price per serving
$2.30$69.00 · 30 servings
Testing
3rd-party listed · no public lab certificate

Multi-ingredient bundle

Status as recorded in the catalog from brand materials; not independently verified by NO1GEVITY.

Score & research context 7.0/10

Editorial score, not proof that this product works. Research-dose calculations are not dosing advice.

100%
of trial dose
$1.38
per research-dose day, not label serving
0Trial dose2×
Catalog price · Confirm current price with agemate.com
Multi/greens
Ingredients listed
6 ingredients listedlargest listed: Vitamin C 90 mg
Price per serving
$1.33$39.99 · 30 servings
Testing
3rd-party listed · no public lab certificate

Multi-ingredient bundle

Status as recorded in the catalog from brand materials; not independently verified by NO1GEVITY.

Score & research context 6.7/10

Editorial score, not proof that this product works. Research-dose calculations are not dosing advice.

100%
of trial dose
$1.33
per research-dose day, not label serving
0Trial dose2×
Catalog price · Confirm current price with seed.com
Connective tissue
Ingredients listed
6 ingredients listedlargest listed: Collagen Peptides 10 g
Price per serving
$1.97$59.00 · 30 servings
Testing
3rd-party listed · no public lab certificate

Elemental vs compound: check label

Status as recorded in the catalog from brand materials; not independently verified by NO1GEVITY.

Score & research context 6.6/10

Editorial score, not proof that this product works. Research-dose calculations are not dosing advice.

100%
of trial dose
$1.97
per research-dose day, not label serving
0Trial dose2×
Catalog price · Confirm current price with www.vitalproteins.com
Editorial guides

Buying guides and comparisons

Neighbouring molecules

Related ingredients

See all in Foundational →

Molecules in the same class, plus the actives most often formulated alongside Vitamin K2 in our catalogue.

Omega-3 (EPA/DHA)Asame categoryVitamin D3Asame categoryMagnesiumAsame categoryVitamin B12Asame categoryFolate (5-MTHF)Bsame categoryZincAsame categorySeleniumAsame categoryVitamin CAsame category

See Vitamin K2 in context: the mechanism it acts through, the biomarker it moves, the products that dose it, and the trials that tested it.

View Vitamin K2 on the Longevity Map →

Frequently asked questions

What is Vitamin K2?

A form of vitamin K found in fermented foods (natto, aged cheese). It activates proteins that direct calcium into bones and teeth and keep it out of arteries and soft tissues.

What dose of Vitamin K2 should I take?

The trial dose in published human studies is 0.18 mg per day, with a range of 0.09 to 0.36 mg per day. Always consult a qualified clinician before starting any supplement.

Is Vitamin K2 safe?

No formal UL (FNB states there is insufficient toxicity data to derive one). The Council for Responsible Nutrition established a Highest Observed Intake of 375 mcg/day for supplemental MK-7 in 2025.

What is the best Vitamin K2 supplement?

We track 6 products containing Vitamin K2. The top-ranked product scores 8.9 out of 10 on our composite scale, which evaluates dose, evidence, price, third-party testing, and transparency. See the comparison table above. Scores are editorial judgments, not a scientific standard.

What is the evidence grade for Vitamin K2?

Vitamin K2 has evidence grade B, meaning it is supported by human RCTs. Grade A means replicated human RCTs with hard endpoints. Grade B means human RCTs with biomarker outcomes. Grade C means mixed or small human trials. See our evidence grading methodology.

Independently checked

Data verification

Evidence grade
B
Human RCTs, biomarker outcomes
Research dose
0.18 mg
Products tracked
6
Updated continuously
Safety signal
No formal UL (FNB states there is insufficient toxicity d...

Evidence grades are reviewed when new human RCTs are published. Product counts update automatically as new products are added. Dose ranges reflect published trial data, not brand recommendations. Read how we verify.