Vitamin K

Good evening Mr. Jelínek,

1. I often encounter the opinion that today's foods do not contain the necessary vitamins and minerals due to environmental pollution and cultivation methods. What is your view on this, please?
2. Do you recommend D3 with K2 during the winter months for all age groups?

Thank you.

1. Foods that we can classify as "quality," meaning those that have not undergone extensive industrial processing, will always be nutritionally sound, i.e., they will contain certain amounts of micronutrients. However, their quantity will depend on the method of cultivation/raising and subsequent processing of the raw materials. Considering each individual's specific needs, it's a matter of debate whether their quantity will be sufficient or whether it might be worthwhile to supplement certain substances.

2. This is also a matter of individuality, as blanket recommendations are never a solution. Even in the winter months, it is possible to obtain enough vitamin D through diet, and at the same time, a reasonably designed meal plan has the potential to support intestinal microbiota activity for adequate vitamin K production. Therefore, it is not necessarily essential to take these substances preventively, although most of the population will never demonstrate the ability to adjust their diet to ensure everything is nutritionally adequate.

Regarding vitamin K, I would like to ask if poor microflora and inflammation in the small intestine lead to low production of vitamin K2, and if it is known which bacteria are responsible for this?
Thank you.

In situations where the diversity of the gut microbiota is compromised, there may be a reduced production of vitamin K2. This process involves a variety of microorganisms (including, for example, Escherichia coli), but it is not the specialty of one or two specific species. This is why attempts to address the issue of insufficient K2 production in the gut by using specific probiotics have not been entirely successful.

Hello,

I entered chicken breast 150g in the application and the vitamin K value showed up as 514 mcg = 429% of the Recommended Daily Allowance. Isn't that an error?

Thank you.

Good observation, congratulations :-) This is a discussion question because European nutritional databases define the vitamin K content in some foods (including chicken meat) as significantly lower than American ones, and indeed markedly so. In the ZOF application, we use a global average, which for some nutritional values can show considerable deviation from the standard in a given geographical area. In the case of chicken meat, it mainly concerns the fact that nutritional therapy on the American continent does not recommend this type of meat during anticoagulant therapy precisely due to the high vitamin K content, whereas in Europe, due to different tabulated values, chicken meat is commonly allowed.