Vitamin K2 Production and Testing Without a Colon

My GP has given me a vitamin D + calcium supplement. Looking online, I found that if I don't have vitamin K2 in my system, then the calcium gets laid in the arteries rather than the bones.

So my question is - if I'm eating vitamin K foods, how does this vitamin K get broken down to make K2? And the K2 that is produced in the colon - is this from the vitamin K in foods or is it some other process?

Is there any test to show if I've got vitamin K2 in my system?

I've seen some very technical nutritional replies on here but can't remember who posted.

G-Day Rainbow,

The people on here are very good, but when it comes to specific medical problems, I think it's best to see a nutritionist.

Regards, IGGIE

Vitamin K2 is available directly from food.

I agree with IGGIE about consulting a nutritionist to get better and more thorough advice.

This is also a concern of mine as well, and I did find one supplement that you may want to try. Food-grade emu oil is the best-known source of highly bioavailable vitamin K. There is one place in Australia called Walkabout Emu Oil that you can purchase from online. I've ordered some and used it. One word of advice if you do decide to purchase it, though—keep it in the refrigerator and take it out ahead of time to let it liquefy (it turns solid when cold) before taking it. It will go rancid otherwise.

I have seen a dietitian, and she didn't know about this. Also, I've seen other professionals who specialize in using supplements and food as medicine, and they didn't mention this aspect of vitamin D and calcium behavior. These were people I went to before I'd found out about the significance of vitamin K2.

My Ostomy Journey: Kimberly | Hollister

I have seen a dietitian recently, and she didn't know about the issue with calcium.

When you say that K2 is available directly from food, do you mean in the form of K2? Or do you mean as derived from vitamin K in foods?

If you mean directly as K2, can you say which foods have K2?

I know foods containing vitamin K, but that's not what I'm looking for as I have an ileostomy.

I'll look into the emu oil - thanks for that.

It's really K2 I'm looking for rather than vitamin K. Unless I've misunderstood what K2 is, I'm thinking it's derived from vitamin K, and my searching says that K2 is produced in the colon. So what happens when I don't have a colon (ileostomy)?

AI Overview

Vitamin K2 is absorbed in the small intestine (specifically the jejunum and ileum). The absorption process requires dietary fat, bile salts, and pancreatic enzymes because it is a fat-soluble vitamin. Additionally, some research suggests that the colon may also contribute to the absorption of bacterially produced K2.
Detailed absorption process
Formation of micelles: Dietary vitamin K is packaged with bile salts, which are produced by the liver, to form micelles.
Absorption by enterocytes: These micelles deliver vitamin K to the cells of the small intestine (enterocytes), where it is absorbed.
Transport into circulation: Inside the enterocytes, vitamin K is incorporated into chylomicrons, which are lipoproteins that transport it from the intestine into the lymphatic system and then into the bloodstream.
Role of dietary fat: Vitamin K is absorbed most effectively when consumed with dietary fat, as the fat helps form the necessary micelles for absorption.
Contribution from the colon: Some studies indicate that the colon can absorb vitamin K2 produced by intestinal bacteria, which may help meet the body's needs even when dietary intake is low.

https://a.co/d/0UrISeB

You can buy vitamin D with calcium and K2 included, readily available.

https://health.clevelandclinic.org/vitamin-k2-foods

From Cleveland Clinic.

I learned in my exploring that there isn't an FDA-recommended daily intake for vitamin K2. That may be why the dietitian wasn't helpful. I think they rely on those guidelines.

In any case, Axl's point about supplements is good.

Vitamin K1, found in blueberries, helps your body produce vitamin K2. K2 is also found in eggs, cottage cheese, and cheese.

Thank you, Cplumber. This is what I wanted to know. I suspected that the K2 produced in the colon was made up of bits and pieces lurking there rather than breaking down vitamin K. I take Diso D3 & K2 that dissolves on the tongue. My vitamin D is increasing.

Yes - I'm taking Diso D3 & K2 that dissolves on the tongue. My D3 is increasing, but there's no way to measure K2. And having got my health up - from being a complete wreck - I'm looking to reduce the supplements I'm taking. So I was interested to see whether the vitamin K in food would break down into K2 or whether this only happened in the colon. Cplumber has found the answer to that.

Thanks for replying.

Sorry - I should have said - I'm taking Diso D3 & K2, which dissolves on the tongue. My vitamin D is increasing. I'm taking various supplements and am getting to the stage where I want to cut back, so I'm trying to work out what I can cut back on, and part of this is getting straight on whether, with an ileostomy, I can produce K2 from food. Thanks for the list of foods. I've just got a really nice (not too) hot sauce that is fermented. And I have kefir in yogurt and kombucha. Though I have to become more conscientious about favoring them more regularly.

Thanks. All information I didn't know. I think I've got a faulty version of Google on my computer.

I didn't know there were 2 versions of K2. I'll look into that. I just got a slight increase in my vitamin D levels. It's a great feeling that something I'm doing is working. I'm 6 years in from emergency surgery followed by post-sepsis syndrome. This last year has brought about a big improvement in my physical health.

Thanks. And I'm glad to hear about your D3 level.

There is a blood test for undercarboxylated osteocalcin that indirectly shows K2 activity. It's not super common, but some functional labs offer it.

This is a reply to moris363. Not sure why it isn't showing as that.

That's interesting. I'll have to see if the NHS can do that. I was recently told that they'll do any tests I need—other than live blood tests, just because they're not set up for those. I think they might have been feeling guilty that I hadn't had ileostomy nutritional testing for the past 6 1/2 years. In the UK, there's the GP who can't get involved in looking at things from an ileostomy point of view because it's a specialist area and the hospital who discharged me once my wounds were healing OK and I wasn't losing weight. Given that you could see the shape of my skull in my face when I left, it would have been difficult to lose weight. And it seems very likely I was in a state of malnutrition when I left the hospital due to another complication. It's the same for PTSD being a specialist area. So there's this gap between the GP and the hospital, which should be filled by someone in the GP general health role who is also qualified in ileostomies and stomas generally. Our stoma nurses are great, but they aren't there for that role.

Thank you.

I only recently came across a list of post-sepsis symptoms, and I could tick off the majority. My hair fell out, exhaustion, and my mind didn't work. I would walk across the car park and back with the physios and sleep for 2 days and nights. My skin got very dry but didn't peel off. That 'facial skin peeled off' has a feeling of shedding a mask. Something I found very strange was that now my colon is gone, I feel more like myself than I did beforehand.

It's so good on here to hear other people's lived experiences. Particularly, 'finally returned to normal.'

Talk to your prescribing doctor about your concerns and see if you can get a referral to a dietitian. Dietitians have more training than nutritionists. You might need specialized advice for the questions you have.

I did recently have an appointment with a dietitian who deals with ileostomies. But she only works with people who have high-output ileostomies. And she didn't know about the calcium, vitamin D, vitamin K2 connection. I'm in the UK. I don't know if having free healthcare means we have access to less active help than in America.

I've had really good information from the people posting here. Lived experience often includes lots of little gems of information and tips.