Any issues supplementing K2 without much calcium in the diet?

[pondering]

Or best to wait until I can add more calcium to my diet before supplementing Vit K2? Can low dose Vit K2 possibly be ok?

Present calcium sources are leafy greens and oranges. Would like to eventually add dairy, eggshell calcium, or other sources (?) but need to tread lightly due to digestive issues & Hashimotos.

 

[catharsis]

You can add calcium pyruvate as a supplement but I would heavily advise against K2 without sufficient cal/mag in the diet or supplement regime. High-dose K2 can lead to hypocalcemia and spikes of PTH which can increase prolactin as well. My hair has thinned a bit due to high-dose K2 without sufficient calcium in the diet (I was also under a lot of stress at the time).

 

[foodandtheworld]

I and other members encountered some issues when calcium levels were lowered excessively: What could it mean if Vitamin K supplements causes asthma symptoms?
I could induce those symptoms by taking 1mg oral a day of K2 MK4 (Thorne brand) for a few days, if my total calcium intake wasn't high enough.

 

[pondering]

You can add calcium pyruvate as a supplement but I would heavily advise against K2 without sufficient cal/mag in the diet or supplement regime. High-dose K2 can lead to hypocalcemia and spikes of PTH which can increase prolactin as well. My hair has thinned a bit due to high-dose K2 without sufficient calcium in the diet (I was also under a lot of stress at the time).

I will hold off on K2 till I can up my calcium then.

Is there a brand of calcium pyruvate you like?

 

[catharsis]

I will hold off on K2 till I can up my calcium then.

Is there a brand of calcium pyruvate you like?

BestNaturals is pretty good, you can find it off of Amazon. Try to get at least 1000mg of Calcium daily through milk or yogurt, some veggies can give calcium as well but supplements will not cover all your dietary needs.

 

[pondering]

I and other members encountered some issues when calcium levels were lowered excessively: What could it mean if Vitamin K supplements causes asthma symptoms?
I could induce those symptoms by taking 1mg oral a day of K2 MK4 (Thorne brand) for a few days, if my total calcium intake wasn't high enough.

This is good to know and appreciate the link.

 

[pondering]

BestNaturals is pretty good, you can find it off of Amazon. Try to get at least 1000mg of Calcium daily through milk or yogurt, some veggies can give calcium as well but supplements will not cover all your dietary needs.

You read my mind. I was wondering what the minimum amount of calcium one needs for starting/safe K2 supplementation. Thanks so much for the info.

 

[artist]

You can add calcium pyruvate as a supplement but I would heavily advise against K2 without sufficient cal/mag in the diet or supplement regime. High-dose K2 can lead to hypocalcemia and spikes of PTH which can increase prolactin as well. My hair has thinned a bit due to high-dose K2 without sufficient calcium in the diet (I was also under a lot of stress at the time).

Ditto all around. I am pretty certain this caused my (now reversed) hair loss. I was using a few mg a day for a long time in a very calcium deficient diet.

 

[xeliex]

Or best to wait until I can add more calcium to my diet before supplementing Vit K2? Can low dose Vit K2 possibly be ok?

Present calcium sources are leafy greens and oranges. Would like to eventually add dairy, eggshell calcium, or other sources (?) but need to tread lightly due to digestive issues & Hashimotos.

If I don't have a lot of dietary calcium and take K2, I get heart palpitations. It seems that I need close to 2 grams calcium per day to tolerate any K2.

 

[pondering]

Ditto all around. I am pretty certain this caused my (now reversed) hair loss. I was using a few mg a day for a long time in a very calcium deficient diet.

Helpful to know more than 1 person has had this issue. I’m glad you were able to reverse your hair loss

 

[pondering]

If I don't have a lot of dietary calcium and take K2, I get heart palpitations. It seems that I need close to 2 grams calcium per day to tolerate any K2.

1 gram of dietary calcium is mentioned above and you mention 2 grams — makes me wonder if the calcium needed to tolerate K2 varies per person.

 

[pastanagueta]

Or best to wait until I can add more calcium to my diet before supplementing Vit K2? Can low dose Vit K2 possibly be ok?

Present calcium sources are leafy greens and oranges. Would like to eventually add dairy, eggshell calcium, or other sources (?) but need to tread lightly due to digestive issues & Hashimotos.

Would this be MK4 or MK7?

 

[pondering]

Would this be MK4 or MK7?

Whatever works best really. Leaning towards MK4, but am open to a combo MK4 & MK7. I’m hoping to improve dental health and in particular regrow alveolar jaw bone in the long run.

 

[pastanagueta]

Whatever works best really. Leaning towards MK4, but am open to a combo MK4 & MK7. I’m hoping to improve dental health and in particular regrow alveolar jaw bone in the long run.

Thank you, I'm very interested in your question, I'm trying to figure out what the best form of K2 is, (I think probably MK4) and dosages. From what I've read so far I think MK4 would be the most effective for dental health.

 

[Darkmortal]

This seems interesting to me, I’m spending my 1 year service in the Egyptian army and unfortunately I can’t stay “peaty” there, all i could eat to stay away from pufa was bread, a tiny can of jam, an egg (a day), and a bar of halva.(this is almost no calcium consumed) I spend 20 days there and then i get 10 days off, i took 20 caps of k2/d3 for the last 2 months with me and i noticed that my stomach started to get bloated, i started getting white head pimples all around my body, i started gaining weight, abs weren’t as visible, noticed some thin layer of fat, although i was consuming less food than i do before the army, so i stopped taking it with me and everything seems to be better, it’s strange for all of the benefits i heard and read about k2 before i took it and how it ended up doing to me, so that’s what i wanted to say when i saw this thread it actually caught my mind cause i really wasn’t aware of my super-calcium-deficient diet and i thought it will never do me bad it has d3 in it lol, so though about saying this (brand was now foods d3/k2 - d3 1000iu, k2 45 mcg.

 

[pondering]

Thank you, I'm very interested in your question, I'm trying to figure out what the best form of K2 is, (I think probably MK4) and dosages. From what I've read so far I think MK4 would be the most effective for dental health.

We are seeking the same answers :). I’ve read in other threads that MK4 is more reliable and physiologic.

This thread discusses dosages and there are others that do too: Safe to take K2 Daily

 

[RealNeat]

The late @Travis recommends K1 as it's not as cardioactive. Read entire thread, it's not long but interesting and helpful. Thorne K2 has personally given me similar issues. I'm 98% sure it was the cause but there were other stressors in my life at the time.

I think D and Calcium are important when taking K2, it's powerful and some people have similar reactions to coq10. Even though I've never had a reaction to coq10 and when I did have a reaction to k2 I took it a couple days in a row at 1-2mg.

K2 Causing Heart Palpitations

I've taken K2 (thorne research), just 1 drop on two separate occasions. Each time my heart rate went from 75 up to 110 and I had palpitations well into the day after taking it. I also got "air hungry" after each dose. I haven't been supplementing with anything else other than magnesium, nor...

raypeatforum.com

 

[pondering]

The late @Travis recommends K1 as it's not as cardioactive. Read entire thread, it's not long but interesting and helpful. Thorne K2 has personally given me similar issues. I'm 98% sure it was the cause but there were other stressors in my life at the time.

I think D and Calcium are important when taking K2, it's powerful and some people have similar reactions to coq10. Even though I've never had a reaction to coq10 and when I did have a reaction to k2 I took it a couple days in a row at 1-2mg.

K2 Causing Heart Palpitations

I've taken K2 (thorne research), just 1 drop on two separate occasions. Each time my heart rate went from 75 up to 110 and I had palpitations well into the day after taking it. I also got "air hungry" after each dose. I haven't been supplementing with anything else other than magnesium, nor...

raypeatforum.com

Very interesting link, thank you, especially since I’ve been considering coq10 too.

 

[pondering]

This seems interesting to me, I’m spending my 1 year service in the Egyptian army and unfortunately I can’t stay “peaty” there, all i could eat to stay away from pufa was bread, a tiny can of jam, an egg (a day), and a bar of halva.(this is almost no calcium consumed) I spend 20 days there and then i get 10 days off, i took 20 caps of k2/d3 for the last 2 months with me and i noticed that my stomach started to get bloated, i started getting white head pimples all around my body, i started gaining weight, abs weren’t as visible, noticed some thin layer of fat, although i was consuming less food than i do before the army, so i stopped taking it with me and everything seems to be better, it’s strange for all of the benefits i heard and read about k2 before i took it and how it ended up doing to me, so that’s what i wanted to say when i saw this thread it actually caught my mind cause i really wasn’t aware of my super-calcium-deficient diet and i thought it will never do me bad it has d3 in it lol, so though about saying this (brand was now foods d3/k2 - d3 1000iu, k2 45 mcg.

Your experience is helpful, especially regarding dosing. k2 45 mcg dose is relatively low yet it still caused issues.

Reminded me that I actually tried k2 a few years back (before I new anything about Ray Peat or the need for calcium). It was 90 mcg MK-7, but I recall feeling unwell/nauseous after, so I stopped with that 1 capsule. The brand was Ancient Nutrition and had additional ingredients for an “Ancient Nutrients TCM Blend.” I didn’t have much calcium in my diet back then either, although the other ingredients may have been a factor too in my case as I’ve since learned I have a lot of food sensitivities.

 

[pastanagueta]

We are seeking the same answers :). I’ve read in other threads that MK4 is more reliable and physiologic.

This thread discusses dosages and there are others that do too: Safe to take K2 Daily

Thanks for the link, I'd not seen that one yet! :)