How Much Vitamin K2 You Should Take Per Day

How Much Vitamin K2 You Should Take Per Day

Vitamin K2 is an essential nutrient that offers numerous benefits to our bodies, but most of us aren’t consuming enough of it to fully support our health. That’s why it’s important we make an extra effort to consume vitamin K2, whether it be via diet or supplementation. 

But you may be wondering: exactly how much vitamin K2 should I take per day?

Vitamin K2 does not have its own recommended dietary intake, but the average adult should consume 90-120 mcg of vitamin K per day to support their health. However, the recommended dietary intake varies depending on age, gender, and life stage.

So if you’re interested in learning more about vitamin K2 and how much of this nutrient you need in your diet, keep reading. We have everything you need to know about the role vitamin K2 plays in your health, as well as some guidance as to how much you should be taking everyday. 

Why should you take vitamin K2?

Vitamin K2 is a fat-soluble vitamin that the body needs to maintain the health of many important systems. This essential nutrient is a form of vitamin K, a group of compounds divided into two parts: K1 and K2. 


However, vitamin K2 specifically offers a variety of unique health benefits, including:

  • Increased bone mineral density
  • Lower risk of osteoporosis
  • Improved heart health
  • Lower risk of heart disease
  • Improved dental health
  • Potential lower risk of cancer

Unfortunately, vitamin K2 is rarely found in the average western diet, as its significance was discovered long after vitamin K1. This could explain why vitamin K2 doesn’t have its own specific recommended dietary intake (RDI), despite the fact that studies have argued that vitamin K2 should be considered for a specific RDI as it meets all the criteria. 

But since vitamin K2 does not yet have its own, we can base our intake of this nutrient off of the dietary requirements for vitamin K. But you may be wondering: exactly how much vitamin K do I need?

For adults

According to health experts, the recommended dietary intake for adults older than 19 varies depending on gender. See the table below for details.

Gender

Recommended intake of vitamin K2 per day 

Adult men

120 mcg

Adult women

90 mcg


It’s important for adults and all ages to intake enough of this nutrient, as a vitamin K2 deficiency can result in the following health problems:

  • Excessive bleeding
  • Excessive bruising
  • Osteoporosis
  • Poor dental health

That’s why anyone experiencing any of these symptoms should consider getting their vitamin K levels checked, as well as look into vitamin K2 supplementation. 

For children

The recommended dietary intake for children varies depending on age. The table below provides clarification on how much vitamin K2 each age group should be consuming daily.

Age

Recommended intake of vitamin K2 per day

4-8 years

55 mcg

9-13 years

60 mcg

14-18 years

75 mcg


It’s very important for children to consume enough of this nutrient to support their development and ensure proper nutrition and health. That’s why if adolescents aren’t getting enough vitamin K2 in their diet, supplementation may be necessary.

For babies

The recommended dietary intake for babies and toddlers varies depending on age, which is depicted by the table below.

Age

Recommended intake of vitamin K2 per day

Birth to 6 months

2.0 mcg

7-12 months

2.5 mcg

1-3 years

30 mcg


Because this age demographic is constantly growing and developing, adequate nutrition is essential in ensuring both short and long term health. That’s why any newborns or toddlers lacking in vitamin K2 may need supplementation to ensure adequate intake.

For pregnant or breastfeeding women

Pregnant or breastfeeding women should consume 90 mcg of vitamin K2 per day, according to health experts. This group needs an extra intake of this essential nutrient to support their changing body and developing fetus. 

In fact, research shows that a vitamin K deficiency in pregnant women can be a serious health risk for both the expectant mom and newborn baby. But vitamin K2 in particular plays an important role in pregnancy, as this nutrient has been studied for its use as a safe treatment option in cases of pregnancy-associated osteoporosis.

That’s why pregnant and breastfeeding women should take extra measures to consume enough vitamin K2 to support them and their baby’s health.

For pregnant or breastfeeding teens

The recommended dietary intake for pregnant and breastfeeding teens is slightly lower, at 75 mcg of vitamin K2 per day.

Pregnant and breastfeeding teens need vitamin K2 for the same reasons as pregnant and breastfeeding women. 

Because studies show that exposure to risk factors during teenage years helps determine who will remain healthy later in life, it’s especially crucial for this demographic to fulfill their nutritional requirements throughout pregnancy.

For vegetarians and vegans

While vegetarians and vegans are recommended to consume the same amount of vitamin K2 as everyone else depending on their age, this demographic may need to make a particular effort to get enough of this essential nutrient.

That’s because not only is vitamin K2 rare in the average western diet, but it’s particularly rare in the vegetarian and vegan diet. Most sources of vitamin K2 come from animals or fermented foods, which means anyone with a restrictive diet is almost certainly not getting enough. 

That’s why plant based eaters may want to check out our article: Is Vitamin K2 a Blood Thinner: What to look out for

for ideas on how this nutrient can be incorporated into a vegetarian or vegan diet.

Final thoughts

It’s important to remember that consuming the recommended amount of vitamin K still doesn’t necessarily mean we’re getting enough vitamin K2 - that’s why we have to make an extra effort to eat foods rich in this specific nutrient, and/or use a dietary vitamin supplement.

That’s why FuelOrganics offers a high-quality vegan vitamin K2 supplement for anyone looking to support heart and bone health with this elusive but important vitamin.

For more information on vitamin K2, check out some of our other articles:

Trusted sources

  1. Akbulut, A. C., Pavlic, A., Petsophonsakul, P., Halder, M., Maresz, K., Kramann, R., & Schurgers, L. (2020). Vitamin K2 Needs an RDI Separate from Vitamin K1. Nutrients, 12(6), 1852. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu12061852
  2. Vitamin K. Fact sheets for consumers. National Institutes of Health. Office of Dietary Supplements. Retrieved from https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminK-Consumer/
  3. Kellie F. J. (2017). Vitamin K supplementation during pregnancy for improving outcomes. The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2017(6), CD010920. https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD010920.pub2
  4. Brown, B., & Wright, C. (2020). Safety and efficacy of supplements in pregnancy. Nutrition reviews, 78(10), 813–826. https://doi.org/10.1093/nutrit/nuz101
  5. Kappeler E. M. (2015). Adolescent health and teen pregnancy in the United States: a progress report. Public health reports (Washington, D.C. : 1974), 130(3), 196–198. https://doi.org/10.1177/003335491513000304
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