Vitamin K2 (Menaquinone)
Also known as: Menaquinone, MK-7
Vitamin K2 is commonly discussed alongside vitamin D and calcium for bone and cardiovascular wellness. Evidence is still developing, and effects vary. It is distinct from vitamin K1, which is more associated with dietary greens.
Snapshot
Evidence level is outcome-specific; a supplement can have stronger evidence for one use and limited evidence for another.
What this page can tell you: Commonly discussed timing, food notes, caution categories, and an honest note on how much source review this entry still needs.
What it cannot: Whether this is appropriate for you personally, or that it treats, prevents, or cures any condition. Informational only — discuss with a clinician or pharmacist.
🧩 Stack insights — how this fits into a schedule
Warfarin (vitamin K antagonist) — NIH ODS: vitamin K counteracts warfarin, so people on warfarin are commonly advised to keep their vitamin K intake consistent and coordinate any supplement with their clinician. Do not start or change it on your own.
⚠️ Consistency matters more than avoidance — coordinate with your prescriber.
A meal with some fat — Vitamin K2 is fat-soluble, so it is commonly taken with a meal or snack that includes some fat for absorption — often alongside vitamin D and calcium in bone-wellness discussions.
Relationship insights are informational only — they describe what is commonly discussed or studied, not what you should take. Not medical advice; review your routine with a clinician or pharmacist.
🕒 Timing
When: Morning, With a meal
Food: With a meal containing fat
Fat-soluble; taken with a fat-containing meal, often together with vitamin D. If you take a blood thinner such as warfarin, keep vitamin K intake steady and talk to a professional before changing it.
💊 Common use range
90–180 mcg
No commonly cited upper limit, but more is not necessarily better.
Ranges are informational, not a recommended dose. Talk to a professional about what is right for you.
🤔 Worth considering?
Evidence vs. effort: Limited evidence relative to burden
Commonly paired with vitamin D and calcium; the K2-specific evidence is still limited. The key caution is for people on anticoagulants like warfarin, who are advised to keep vitamin K intake consistent - worth discussing with a professional.
A general summary, not a recommendation. Whether something fits your situation is worth discussing with a healthcare professional.
⚠️ Commonly noted interactions (supplements)
None listed.
Often about absorption or timing rather than danger — separating doses is common. This list is not exhaustive.
🧭 Baseline caution
General caution for ordinary, common use — before accounting for your specific dose, medications, health history, or procedures.
No general caution factors flagged for ordinary use. See context alerts below for situations that may still apply to you.
Caution level is an informational summary of commonly discussed caution categories and doses — not a safety rating, approval, or medical advice. Low caution does not mean safe for you.
🔎 Context alerts to review
Context alerts may matter depending on your dose, medications, health history, or procedure plans — they do not mean the supplement is generally risky at ordinary use.
Medications
- Anticoagulant (blood thinner) interaction
🩺 Medication caution categories
- Blood thinners (anticoagulants) — The concern is an additive effect on bleeding, or a change in how the anticoagulant works — worth raising with your prescriber, especially before procedures.
🏥 Surgery & procedure caution
Because vitamin K affects clotting pathways, tell your care team before surgery, especially if you take blood thinners like warfarin.
If you have a procedure scheduled, bring your full supplement list to your surgical and anesthesia team. Do not stop prescribed medication unless your clinician tells you to. Do not start or stop supplements based only on this app.
✅ Quality checklist
- Prefer products with third-party testing or a certificate of analysis (COA).
- Check the label for the exact form and the elemental or active amount per serving.
🧩 Commonly paired with
🔁 Alternatives
None listed.
🗣️ Questions for a professional
- Is Vitamin K2 (Menaquinone) appropriate alongside my medications and health history?
- Is there a test or check that would tell us whether I actually need it?
🔬 Evidence snapshot
Vitamin K (including K2 menaquinones) acts as a coenzyme for proteins involved in blood clotting and bone metabolism. Evidence for K2-specific supplement benefits beyond adequate intake is limited.
🧪 Forms & quality
MK-7 and MK-4 are menaquinones with different side-chain lengths. MK-7 is commonly discussed as staying in the blood longer, so it is often dosed once daily in micrograms; MK-4 is typically dosed more often. Neither is simply 'better' — research differs by outcome.
See the supplement glossary for what form names like "L-", chelated, or standardized extract mean.
📏 Dose & monitoring
No established upper limit. NIH ODS notes the Food and Nutrition Board did not set one because of vitamin K low toxicity and no reported adverse effects from food or supplements.
Evidence vs. burden: Limited evidence relative to burden
😐 Commonly reported side effects
- Uncommon at typical doses
Non-exhaustive and individual.
🔄 Cycling & breaks
Cycling is not typically discussed; commonly used daily.
📅 Daily use notes
Often taken daily alongside vitamin D.
📋 Source review status
Source-reviewed — last reviewed 2026-07-02
Placeholder — confirm warfarin interaction wording with a pharmacist source.
📚 References
- NIH ODS - Vitamin K (Health Professional Fact Sheet)NIH ODS — Verified no-UL/low-toxicity note and the warfarin consistency caution.
Verified against the source shown. See the research-status page for how review works.
Use the web planner · StackWise (Android) in closed testing →