Vitamin K: High Doses of MK-4 and MK-7 Show Promising Results

Posted by daisy17 @daisy17, Apr 7 12:07pm

It seems as though doctors in the U.S. focus primarily on medications to treat osteoporosis, many of which have undesirable side effects.

I find it curious that doctors never seem to mention taking high doses of Vitamin K, which has few side effects and has shown promising results in Japanese studies that indicate vitamin K2, specifically MK-4 and MK-7, may improve bone health. MK-4 has been prescribed for osteoporosis in Japan because studies there showed it had benefits in bone density and strength.

Based on this information, I recently started taking 180mcg of Menaquinone-7 (MK7) TrueVantage brand and 45,000 mcg (45 mg) of vitamin K2 (menaquinone-4) - Life Extension K2 High Potency brand.

AI Assist says that it's okay to take both forms: “Taking vitamin K2 in both MK-4 and MK-7 forms together can be beneficial, as they have different properties and roles in the body. MK-4 has a shorter half-life and is quickly metabolized, while MK-7 has a longer half-life and remains active for a longer period, supporting continuous bone and cardiovascular health. Combining both forms may provide comprehensive support for bone health and calcium metabolism.”

Here are a couple articles on this: https://naturalhealthresearch.org/vitamin-k2-and-bone-loss/
https://www.lifeextension.com/magazine/2022/3/bone-loss-vitamin-k-high-dose

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Osteoporosis & Bone Health Support Group.

Profile picture for kfhoz @kfhoz

@daisy17 I also have some misgivings about the FDA changes, but the goal is to make the medications less expensive to trial and thus maybe more option and less expensive for us. I have been a tiny bit involved in medical research and doubt that the individual drugs as profitable as they seem on the surface. It is amazingly expensive to develop and trial a drug. Most drugs fail to get approved, and the successful ones have to cover the costs of all of the failures.

EXAMPLE: The history of strontium ranelate for osteoporosis is a sad chapter on many fronts. The drug company could not do the expensive trials on better-known strontium citrate SrC because there is no way for them to get their money back. Not-for-profit entities do not have enough funds to do full RCT out to fracture risk. I doubt that the change in the FDA policy will be sufficient for SrC research to be publicly funded, but it is a step in that direction. Note: I do not take strontium because of insufficient research. But it might work and I wish someone could do more research.

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@kfhoz If new bone drugs are approved, it will be interesting to see if the drug companies pass any savings resulting from less expensive trials on to the customers.

I found this info on some of the current bone drug companies:
Amgen's profits from Evenity have shown significant growth, with sales increasing 39% year-over-year to $599 million in the fourth quarter of 2025 and a total annual increase of 34% for the full year. In the first quarter of 2026, Evenity sales rose by 27% to $562 million, maintaining a strong market presence.

In 2021, Radius Health reported net revenue of $219 million from sales of Tymlos, which was an increase from $208 million in 2020. The company aims for Tymlos net revenue of $232 million in 2022.

Eli Lilly, the company that sells Forteo, reported $69.90 million in net sales for Forteo in a recent quarter, which represents a year-over-year change of -52.8%. This decline indicates a significant drop in sales compared to previous periods.

Amgen, the company that sells Prolia, reported an overall revenue increase of 6% for the first quarter of 2026, totaling $8.6 billion. However, Prolia's sales specifically were down 34% to $727 million during the same period due to biosimilar competition.

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I take 180mcg of mK7 which converts to Mk4. Supposedly that’s enough. Because of Mk4 short life 5mg tablets dispersed 3x through the day should be enough

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Profile picture for ipg @ipg

I take 180mcg of mK7 which converts to Mk4. Supposedly that’s enough. Because of Mk4 short life 5mg tablets dispersed 3x through the day should be enough

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@ipg
What about D3 as well?
And does this make sense?
Vitamin K - Vitamins K1 and K2 (as MK-4 and MK-7) Capsule Supplement

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Profile picture for julieilic @julieilic

@ipg
What about D3 as well?
And does this make sense?
Vitamin K - Vitamins K1 and K2 (as MK-4 and MK-7) Capsule Supplement

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@julieilic Yes, you may also need D3 supplements. It's included in many calcium supplements. Attached article says "Pair K2 with Vitamin D3: D helps absorb calcium; K2 helps direct it into bones (and away from soft tissues)."
https://betterbones.com/bone-health-basics/vitamin-k2-mk7-vs-mk4/

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Profile picture for daisy17 @daisy17

@julieilic Yes, you may also need D3 supplements. It's included in many calcium supplements. Attached article says "Pair K2 with Vitamin D3: D helps absorb calcium; K2 helps direct it into bones (and away from soft tissues)."
https://betterbones.com/bone-health-basics/vitamin-k2-mk7-vs-mk4/

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@daisy17 thank you

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So tired of doctors pushing pharma drugs so I am so happy about all of this 🫶🏻🙏

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Profile picture for daisy17 @daisy17

@kfhoz If new bone drugs are approved, it will be interesting to see if the drug companies pass any savings resulting from less expensive trials on to the customers.

I found this info on some of the current bone drug companies:
Amgen's profits from Evenity have shown significant growth, with sales increasing 39% year-over-year to $599 million in the fourth quarter of 2025 and a total annual increase of 34% for the full year. In the first quarter of 2026, Evenity sales rose by 27% to $562 million, maintaining a strong market presence.

In 2021, Radius Health reported net revenue of $219 million from sales of Tymlos, which was an increase from $208 million in 2020. The company aims for Tymlos net revenue of $232 million in 2022.

Eli Lilly, the company that sells Forteo, reported $69.90 million in net sales for Forteo in a recent quarter, which represents a year-over-year change of -52.8%. This decline indicates a significant drop in sales compared to previous periods.

Amgen, the company that sells Prolia, reported an overall revenue increase of 6% for the first quarter of 2026, totaling $8.6 billion. However, Prolia's sales specifically were down 34% to $727 million during the same period due to biosimilar competition.

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@daisy17

and....? I am not sure what your conclusion is.
Thanks

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Profile picture for gravity3 @gravity3

@daisy17

and....? I am not sure what your conclusion is.
Thanks

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@gravity3 No conclusion. Just info I found interesting.

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Vit D levels are usually checked and monitored before treatment for osteopori

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I'm trying a higher dose vitamin K also, because I've been unable to tolerate any other osteoporosis drug and have severe disease. At this point it's my only hope. If the drs won't acknowledge it as being studied and a real treatment, then I will try my own way. All they know is pharma. I think they make their money steering patients to certain drugs.

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