Vitamin K2 vs. K1

This often overlooked vitamin is no basic nutrient; Vitamin K’s many complex forms provide a myriad of functions for everything from your blood, to your brain, to your bones.

Vitamin K’s healthy body benefits

Crucial for normal blood clotting, Vitamin K is essential to the production of sphingolipid, a type of fat that your brain needs to stay sharp. In addition to its brain-supporting power, K also helps keep calcium in your bones where it belongs instead of letting it loiter in places it doesn't belong. Its role as calcium’s babysitter is one of the key reasons you need Vitamin K; Your body can use all the calcium you get from food more effectively.

Vitamin K1 vs. K2

There are two main forms of K: Vitamin K1 and Vitamin K2 aka menaquinone (MK). K1 and K2-MK function similarly in our bodies, but there is evidence that K2-MK hangs around in circulation longer than K1 (so it can keep working longer and stronger). More importantly, Vitamin K2 supplementation has been shown to support bone health in multiple studies, while results from K1 supplementation are less definitive.

Finding the right molecule

Vitamin K is complex. Here’s where it gets interesting. Vitamin K2 has several individual sub-forms. These sub-forms have different molecular lengths and are found in different foods. For example, MK-4 is found mostly in animal-based fats like egg yolks and butter, while MK-7 (a larger molecular form) is mostly in cheese and fermented soy. So, why do we care? Turns out, size does matter; the longer the molecule of K2, the longer it lasts in your body.

Out of all the forms of vitamin K, we went with vegan, soy-free K2-MK7 for Ritual. Ours is 100% biologically active, unlike some synthesized MK7s that contain a mixture of the active and non-active forms. No extra junk necessary.