Vitamin K - (K1 - K2) & leg cramps

[LINE]

Just a quick snippet that might be helpful for someone.

Overview: Vitamin K is the orphan vitamin IMO - Seems to help my nocturnal leg cramps. It has been studied for its immune and inflammatory responses. Studies indicate that works with the immune T cells.

I was having bouts of leg cramps and tried various known remedies such as adequate electrolytes (magnesium, potassium, calcium) with no luck.

Been dosing strong on Vitamin D since my levels were on the lower side, but this did not resolve. Starting dosing Vitamin K (Super K from Life Extension, this has K1 but varieties of K2 (MK7 and MK4)). This combination seems to help resolve the leg cramps. Perhaps I am receiving some benefits on the inflammatory side.

 

[linusbert]

this indeed is helpful as muscle cramping is my main symptom , and yet i tried a bit k2 but didnt get there in the full extent.
will work on that angle now again.

idk if its inflammatory, but the calcium regulation of k2 can alone explain this. too much calcium or mineral imbalance is bad and can make cramping.
but taking the electrolytes alone doesnt seam to solve the problem.
various vitamins improve the utilization of minerals, like
b1 <> potassium
b6 <> magnesium
k2 <> calcium
that are those i know now.

you can influence the blood profile of electrolytes alone with vitamins without taking any electrolytes.
i wish i had this study saved. it was a study showing shift in serum electrolytes by giving bad amounts of b vitamins like in those B50 preparates where everything is dosed as 50ug or mg disturbing the natural balance of the body and shifting the electrolytes.

 

[Judee]

I'm the same...get leg cramping with taking D3 alone but adding K2 resolves it.

I can't take K1 in supplement form though. It's supposed to help with coagulation but for some reason it makes me bruise more. ??? My Mom had the same thing with K1 supplements and/or a nettle supplement...increased bruising so maybe it's something genetic. ??

 

[linusbert]

I can't take K1 in supplement form though. It's supposed to help with coagulation but for some reason it makes me bruise more. ??? My Mom had the same thing with K1 supplements and/or a nettle supplement...increased bruising so maybe it's something genetic. ??

maybe the problem is something else aggravated by k1, vitamin C? copper?

which k2 do you add? mk4 mk7?

 

[Judee]

The one I take has both Mk4 and MK7. I think the brand is Innovix. ???

 

[LINE]

I should have added that I take a full complement of other supportive nutrients e.g. antioxidants, minerals, vitamins, fatty acids etc. Antioxidants seem to help as well - I take a wide range of those. Polyphenols are some of my favorites.

 

[datadragon]

Vitamin K2 affected the expression of proinflammatory cytokines during inflammation and infection, the MK-7 form of vitamin K2 is able to dose dependently inhibit TNF-a, IL-1a, and IL-1b gene expression. Vitamin K has been shown to act as an anti-inflammatory by suppressing nuclear factor B (NF-B) signal transduction and to exert a protective effect against oxidative stress by blocking the generation of reactive oxygen species .https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S017193352100039X https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6747195/

Too little potassium, calcium or magnesium in the diet can cause leg cramps.

I have some newer information I found in research regarding why both magnesium and Vitamin K2 are so important with calcium regulation and preventing those problems related to calcium excess as well as both being important for bone formation. This may explain also why high D levels are a problem when there is not adequate mag and K2 due to that increase of calcium but not utilizing it. A large number of studies show that the circulating levels of osteocalcin reflect the rate of bone formation. Osteocalcin also called bone Gla protein (B.G.P) is the major non-collagen protein of the bone matrix. The active form of vitamin D 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 (1,25(OH)2D3) promotes osteocalcin (BGP) and it also promotes MGP synthesis (matrix Gla protein) - it is active MGP that helps remove calcium from soft tissues and vitamin K is crucial for the activation of both MGP and BGP so vitamin K plays a crucial role. Mice in which the MGP gene was deleted died prematurely because of massive calcification of their tracheal cartilage and blood vessels https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11473740 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 (1,25(OH)2D3) (active form) dramatically increased MGP mRNA within 4 h and, by 24 h, increased MGP secretion 15-fold. This is only the second example of a bone matrix protein whose synthesis is dramatically increased by vitamin D, the first being the 6-fold stimulation of BGP synthesis by 1,25(OH)2D3 in ROS 17/2 cells. The discovery that MGP and BGP are similarily regulated by 1,25(OH)2D3 was unexpected since the two proteins differ markedly in structure, physical properties, and tissue distribution. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/3257212/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7019739/ So you may need to do a vitamin D test, but also test the 1,25(OH)2D3 active form at the same time they test the normal 25-D form.