Blood draw
Vitamin K1 and K2
Vitamin K1 and K2; coagulation and bone health.
€ 125,00
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Vitamins, minerals and amino acids · Blood
Vitamin K2 MK-4
The form of vitamin K2 that the body makes itself; disappears quickly from the blood, so a single value says little.
At a glance
- Measured in blood
- In 1 test panel
- No special preparation
Explanation
Vitamin K2 MK-4: what is measured?
MK-4 (menaquinone-4) is the form of vitamin K2 that the body makes itself from vitamin K1 in the diet. According to the guideline on osteoporosis and fracture prevention, MK-4 is the most common form of vitamin K in the body; it is found in fish, liver, milk, vegetables and eggs and is stored in, among other places, the brain, pancreas and reproductive organs. MK-4 helps activate clotting proteins and proteins in bone and the blood vessel wall. MK-4 stays in the blood only briefly, usually a few hours.
What can it detect?
- A recent intake of vitamin K from food or a supplement
- Low absorption of fat-soluble vitamins, for example with problems of the bile, pancreas or bowel
Result
What does the result mean?
Vitamin K2 MK-4 too high
A high value almost always points to food or a supplement shortly before the blood draw. There are no known symptoms or diseases that go with a high MK-4 value. However, anyone using a coumarin-type blood thinner should be careful with vitamin K supplements, because they disturb the dose setting of the blood thinner.
Vitamin K2 MK-4 too low
A low or unmeasurable value is the normal result in people who do not take a supplement: because MK-4 disappears from the blood within a few hours, there is usually little of it to measure. So a low value does not mean there is too little vitamin K in the body. With poor absorption of fats from the gut, the value can actually be low, but even then the clotting test (PT or INR) says more about the consequences.
After an abnormal result
An abnormal value on its own usually does not lead to further testing. With a tendency to bleed, the GP looks at clotting (PT or INR) and at causes of poor absorption of fats.
Reliability
How reliable is the test?
Vitamin K status is hard to read from a single blood value, and the meaning of an abnormal MK-4 value has been little studied. MK-4 is stored mainly in tissues and disappears quickly from the blood, so the blood level mainly reflects the last meal. There are no agreed cut-off values. Whether extra vitamin K prevents fractures has not been sufficiently shown; the guideline on osteoporosis and fracture prevention therefore does not recommend vitamin K supplements, not even with a low blood value.
What can affect the result?
- MK-4 stays in the blood for only a few hours; the time of the last meal largely determines the result.
- The result also depends on the fat intake at that meal, because vitamin K is fat-soluble.
- Coumarin-type blood thinners (acenocoumarol, phenprocoumon) block the action of vitamin K and not the level; the result then says nothing about clotting.
- There are no standardized reference values; methods and limits differ per laboratory.
Who it is for
Who is the test useful for?
Useful for
The result says little in people without symptoms, and even with osteoporosis it adds little, because it has not been shown that extra vitamin K prevents fractures. Anyone who wants to know whether clotting works well gains more from the prothrombin time (PT or INR). Anyone who wants to know whether their diet provides enough vitamin K gains more from a conversation about their eating pattern than from this test.
How common is it?
A confirmed vitamin K deficiency is rare in adults in the Netherlands. How often a low MK-4 value occurs is not known: there is no agreed cut-off value and little research has been done on it.
Dutch medical specialists' guideline (FMS) on osteoporosis and fracture prevention and Netherlands Nutrition Centre (Voedingscentrum); no Dutch registration figure available
Drawbacks and risks
- A low result can cause unnecessary worry, while a low value is actually normal in people who do not take a supplement.
- A low result can lead to supplements whose benefit has not been shown and which are dangerous when using a coumarin blood thinner.
Get tested
Vitamin K2 MK-4: test panels
Vitamin K2 MK-4 is part of these test panels. You order online and have your blood drawn at a collection point or collect the sample at home.
Evidence
Sources
This explanation is based on Dutch guidelines and independent information. It is general information, not a diagnosis. Discuss an abnormal result with your GP.
More about risks and resultsMore explanations
Other tests: Vitamins, minerals and amino acids
- AC/FC ratio
- Acylcarnitine
- Alanine
- Antibodies against intrinsic factor
- Arginine
- Calcium
- Calcium (albumin-corrected)
- Carnitine, free
- Carnitine, total
- Coenzyme Q10
- Copper
- Folic acid