Vitamin K and constipation
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Hi all,
I have taken vitamin K2 in the form of idealab kuinone (1 drop on the wrist before bed) and noticed really great effects on my metabolism, increased pulse and temps, shiny teeth, better mood and great sleep. However, even if I take only one drop for one day or two, It really makes me severely constipated. Does anyone know why? Should I increase my magnesium ( I take magnoil every now and then) or supplement with calcium ( I usually drink only 2-3 glasses of milk per day)?
Many thanks for your help! -
@fruitfly
I have the same issue -
I think that magnesium would be your best bet for constipation. Which form you take is up to you. I prefer mag-malate from Seeking Health. I found it mentioned as having no excipients on the toxinless site. Mag-glycinate tastes awful to me, and would get too clumpy. I haven’t tried the Mag-oil but I’m sure you can find a wealth of reviews in the thread that their site would link you to on that product page.
I believe calcium is generally considered a cause of constipation, so I don’t know that upping it would help any. With that being said, calcium, magnesium, and K all work together and most people seem deficient across the board, so upping them all in moderation could be a good thing if you’re already seeing results from the K2
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@fruitfly said in Vitamin K and constipation:
Does anyone know why?
Saturation has been reached. The dose must be adapted.
Attempt for a clue: In short, too much of a good thing is bad. What is not used leaves quinones.Too much quinone is not advised. Quinones generate reactive oxygen species through redox cycling.
Excess K2 could have an impact on feces (constipation or diarrhea). When taking a supplement high dose, what is not used remains as quinones and must be neutralized by the liver.
Too many quinones could interfere with hormesis. Too much of a good thing is deleterious.Info on absorption, target and dosage of vitamin K (and links from Chris Masterjohn and Kate Rheaume-blue) (in French, with English links)
https://mirzoune-ciboulette.forumactif.org/t1704-vit-k-mk4-vs-mk7-update-02-2020#21497
Excerpt:
Vitamin K uses the same pathway as Vit E
Does vitamin K supplementation deplete vitamin E?
Mito has said on RPF:
There are several aspects of vitamin K’s biochemistry that suggest high doses vitamin K could have adverse effects on our health:
• Vitamins E and K are broken down in similar pathways (Shearer, 2008). High doses of either one elicit an increase in these catabolic pathways by activating a common receptor known as the steroid and xenobiotic receptor (SXR) or the pregnane X receptor (PXR). As a result, high doses of one will elicit the destruction of the other. Thus, high-dose vitamin K could contribute to vitamin E deficiency.
• Second, a small portion of vitamin K is broken down to a compound known as menadione (Thijssen, 2006). Some of the menadione is used to synthesize MK-4, but high concentrations are toxic. We therefore conjugate a portion of the menadione to glutathione, the master antioxidant and detoxifier of the cell, and excrete the complex into our urine. High doses of vitamin K could therefore deplete glutathione. This would impair detoxification, and along with vitamin E depletion it would hurt antioxidant activity.
• High doses of vitamin K can inhibit bone resorption, which is probably the mechanistic basis by which 45 mg/day reduce fracture risk (Iwamoto, 2013). While bone resorption sounds like a bad thing, we need to use it every day to help our bones remodel themselves and adapt their structures to our lifestyles, and to keep blood levels of calcium within a precisely controlled range. We also use bone resorption to release osteocalcin into the blood, where it acts on multiple tissues to improve our metabolic and hormonal health (Ferron, 2007; Oury, 2013). Ironically, one of the benefits of vitamin K2 is to support proper production of osteocalcin, but high doses of the vitamin could hypothetically prevent us from using it. That would be expected to hurt blood sugar control, insulin sensitivity, our metabolic rate, and, in males, testosterone production.
Reference: Chris Masterjohn – the Ultimate Vitamin K2 Resource. 2016 -
@LucH what is considered to be a high dose of K?
I tried to look over your link, but the page wouldn’t translate on mobile. -
@fruitfly I would try increasing calcium and magnesium intake. You may need more calcium when taking K2. I megadosed K2 and my blood calcium levels were low despite eating 2k+ mg daily
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@sphagnum said in Vitamin K and constipation:
what is considered to be a high dose of K?
High dose Vit K can interfere with Vit E
They are all fat-soluble vitamins and can compete with each other for absorption into the micelle. Vitamins A and E are antagonists of vitamin K because they interfere with its absorption and metabolism.
Taking a high dose Vit K2 requires transporters that are in limited amount for transport in circulating lipoproteins for subsequent uptake by tissues.
How much is too much is not clearly defined.
By the way excess Vit E, K and Q10 leaves quinones but our liver has a limited capacity to deal with.
I never take Vit A supplement at the same time as the other lipovitamins.
