Vitamin K Intake Needs
K1 to K2 conversion efficiency determines whether leafy greens alone keep calcium in bones and out of arteries. Poor converters need fermented foods or K2 supplements—otherwise, the greens aren't doing what you think.
What this measures
How your DNA shapes vitamin K intake needs.
VKORC1 codes for vitamin K epoxide reductase — the enzyme that recycles vitamin K after each use, letting the body get multiple cycles of work from a single molecule. GGCX uses vitamin K to activate proteins like osteocalcin (bone) and Matrix Gla protein (artery protection). CYP4F2 handles clearance.
Carriers of common VKORC1 reduced-activity variants are associated with faster vitamin K depletion and elevated dietary requirements — they "use" vitamin K faster than they recycle it. These same variants are well-studied in the warfarin-dosing literature: carriers respond more strongly to anticoagulants, which compete with the recycling step. CYP4F2 variants shape the clearance picture.
K1 from leafy greens (kale, spinach, collards) handles the clotting work. K2 from fermented foods (natto, aged cheeses) directs calcium into bone and out of arteries. Conversion of K1 to K2 happens partly via gut bacteria and varies with microbiome composition. Vitamin D and calcium status both interact with K2’s effectiveness on bone and cardiovascular tissue.
For carriers of the high-demand variant pattern, "eat your greens" alone may not cover the calcium-management work K2 specifically handles. Which VKORC1 variant you carry decides whether dietary K1 alone is sufficient or whether K2-rich foods or supplementation belong in the rotation.
Vitamin K Intake Needs is one specific finding in this system. Your Genomic Lifestyle Optimization Report shows where your variants place you on the micronutrients and strategic supplementation spectrum — and what you can do about it: it renders as a dark card with a color marker calibrated to your variants, opening with the gene mechanism and closing with a practical, mechanism-led recommendation.
Want to see what a real Mosaic dark card looks like? Walk through a sample report →
In context
Fat-Soluble Vitamins: the 7-insight cluster.
Vitamin K Intake Needs is one finding in a tightly-related cluster. Mosaic sequences the other 6 alongside it so you see the whole biology — not an isolated data point.
Questions people ask
About Vitamin K Intake Needs.
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