D3+K2 Recommendation Please

@gigi4 you take algaeCal Plus as well as Osteo-K, both being the same supplements …? In other words you are taking Calcium, Vitamin D and K2 twice …?

@helmit Thank you for the Life Extension information. There are few MK-4 products in the US with the recommended Japanese dosage of 45 mg. It is also a more reasonably priced product than others. My concern is that I understood you needed to take 45 mg as 3 separate dosages of 15 mg because of MK-4's half-life. It seems that the Life Extension product would be one daily pill of 45 mg. Wonder if that affects its optimal benefit.

@prarysky , I have the same concern, I am now taking Vitamin K-2 180 MCG and 5 MG of MK-4 version of Vitamin K-2. Maybe I need to increase my dosage of MK-4 or is my combination OK? There are so many unknowns about Vitamin K-2 but I am trying my best to avoid bone medication for my osteoporosis and it is confusing. I wonder why Life Extension does not make a Vitamin K-2 MK-4 in 15 MG to be taken 3X per day.

@petitefitsmartfemale If you follow the recommendation of the Japanese Ministry of Health, which has studied MK-4 extensively, the daily recommended dosage of MK-4 is 45 mg. I think I read somewhere that recommended treatment would be 15 mg 3x/day because of MK-4's short half-life.

High dosage MK-4 is not available as a supplement by many companies here. It is also a rather expensive supplement. I have found it in 15 mg/capsule form and that's what I'm taking even though it's below the 45 mg dosage. I could easily increase that to 3x/day to reach 45 mg but that's an expensive option.

I looked into Life Extensions' Q&A section for their Mega Vitamin K2 and saw that another customer had posted a question about divided doses. Here's what LE said:

"Since Mk-4 has a short half life, it has been suggested to split the 45 mg per day dose into 2 or 3 times per day. Is it ok to open the capsule and pour some out into a food product, and split the capsule? Is the taste tolerable? Thank you for your help.
Asked by Joyce 2 years ago
Verified Reply - Pamela, Clinical Information Expert
You can, and it is still possible that you derive benefits from the nutrients. However, the product was not designed for ingestion in this manner so we cannot state that the efficacy will be the same as when the capsules are swallowed whole. Also, some may find the taste slightly bitter or objectionable because the product is very potent."
https://www.lifeextension.com/vitamins-supplements/item02417/mega-vitamin-k2-high-potency-for-strong-bones
I am tempted to try the Life Extension product. Open the capsule and divide its contents. Dosages may not be identical but they would at least have some spread over time. For me, there's an advantage in opening the capsule because I have a swallowing disorder so can't swallow large capsules or pills.

Having said that, though, I have been taking 15 mg of MK-4 for about a month. I feel something is better than nothing. But a quick search suggests that lower dosages of MK-4 may have positive results too:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23702931/
"Menaquinone-4 (MK-4) administered at a pharmacological dosage of 45 mg/day has been used for the treatment of osteoporosis in Japan. However, it is not known whether a lower dose of MK-4 supplementation is beneficial for bone health in healthy postmenopausal women. The aim of this study was to examine the long-term effects of 1.5-mg daily supplementation of MK-4 on the various markers of bone turnover and bone mineral density (BMD)."

"These results suggest that low-dose MK-4 supplementation for 6-12 months improved bone quality in the postmenopausal Japanese women by decreasing the serum ucOC and pentosidine concentrations, without any substantial adverse effects."

The Japanese appear to be doing more research on MK-4 than we are in the U.S.

@petitefitsmartfemale If you follow the recommendation of the Japanese Ministry of Health, which has studied MK-4 extensively, the daily recommended dosage of MK-4 is 45 mg. I think I read somewhere that recommended treatment would be 15 mg 3x/day because of MK-4's short half-life.

High dosage MK-4 is not available as a supplement by many companies here. It is also a rather expensive supplement. I have found it in 15 mg/capsule form and that's what I'm taking even though it's below the 45 mg dosage. I could easily increase that to 3x/day to reach 45 mg but that's an expensive option.

I looked into Life Extensions' Q&A section for their Mega Vitamin K2 and saw that another customer had posted a question about divided doses. Here's what LE said:

"Since Mk-4 has a short half life, it has been suggested to split the 45 mg per day dose into 2 or 3 times per day. Is it ok to open the capsule and pour some out into a food product, and split the capsule? Is the taste tolerable? Thank you for your help.
Asked by Joyce 2 years ago
Verified Reply - Pamela, Clinical Information Expert
You can, and it is still possible that you derive benefits from the nutrients. However, the product was not designed for ingestion in this manner so we cannot state that the efficacy will be the same as when the capsules are swallowed whole. Also, some may find the taste slightly bitter or objectionable because the product is very potent."
https://www.lifeextension.com/vitamins-supplements/item02417/mega-vitamin-k2-high-potency-for-strong-bones
I am tempted to try the Life Extension product. Open the capsule and divide its contents. Dosages may not be identical but they would at least have some spread over time. For me, there's an advantage in opening the capsule because I have a swallowing disorder so can't swallow large capsules or pills.

Having said that, though, I have been taking 15 mg of MK-4 for about a month. I feel something is better than nothing. But a quick search suggests that lower dosages of MK-4 may have positive results too:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23702931/
"Menaquinone-4 (MK-4) administered at a pharmacological dosage of 45 mg/day has been used for the treatment of osteoporosis in Japan. However, it is not known whether a lower dose of MK-4 supplementation is beneficial for bone health in healthy postmenopausal women. The aim of this study was to examine the long-term effects of 1.5-mg daily supplementation of MK-4 on the various markers of bone turnover and bone mineral density (BMD)."

"These results suggest that low-dose MK-4 supplementation for 6-12 months improved bone quality in the postmenopausal Japanese women by decreasing the serum ucOC and pentosidine concentrations, without any substantial adverse effects."

The Japanese appear to be doing more research on MK-4 than we are in the U.S.

@prarysky , thank you! Do you have a link for the 15 MG of MK-4 that you are taking? Trying to decide if I should get the MK-4 45 MG but if it has a short life that it needs to be spread out. I am trying to take both MK-7 and MK-4 until more is known during long-term real life events. I appreciate your post.

The product I take is Klaire Labs SFI Health Ultra Vitamin K2 Menaquinone 4, 90 Capsules.
Here is the Amazon description though you can probably find it other places as well.
https://tinyurl.com/579fr45h
If you take one 15 mg capsule a day, it would last about 3 months. But if you follow the Japanese recommendations, this only lasts one month.

I take D and K using separate products. They put D3 in everything these days so I like to keep them separate so I know what I'm taking.

I'm using the Kirkland Signature D3 50 mcg softgels from Costco. Very cost effective and last a long time.

I have been taking this Vitamin K supplement for years: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BWH7QPX6

They combine K2 in MK4 and MK7 plus have K1 as well. Unfortunately, they are out of stock right now. Hoping they get them back in stock soon as I am nearly out.

@prarysky , I have the same concern, I am now taking Vitamin K-2 180 MCG and 5 MG of MK-4 version of Vitamin K-2. Maybe I need to increase my dosage of MK-4 or is my combination OK? There are so many unknowns about Vitamin K-2 but I am trying my best to avoid bone medication for my osteoporosis and it is confusing. I wonder why Life Extension does not make a Vitamin K-2 MK-4 in 15 MG to be taken 3X per day.