Nutritional intake of vitamins K₁ (phylloquinone) and K₂ (menaquinone) in the Netherlands

Vitamin K plays a key role in the hepatic synthesis of blood clotting factors. Recently, other tissues (bone, vessel wall) were shown to produce vitamin K-dependent proteins not involved in blood coagulation. Multiple forms of vitamin K have been found in human food: phylloquinone (K₁) and various menaquinones. A recommended dietary allowance (RDA) has only been defined for K₁, and its value is exclusively based on blood clotting data. We have prepared a provisional table of menaquinones in food, which has been used to calculate the total vitamin K intake in a well-defined cohort of the Dutch population. It is concluded that K₁ is the major form of nutritional vitamin K, that total vitamin K intake is higher than in other populations described and that the correlation between vitamin K intake and serum concentration is poor. It is suggested that present RDA values be reconsidered and intakes comparable with those in the highest quartile of our study population are recommended.