A•D•K2 Cardio Health™*

Frequently Asked Questions

What type of vitamin A is better, retinol or beta-carotene?

Retinol is the active form of vitamin A in the body, so it’s easy for your body to use. Beta-carotene is actually a “provitamin A,” a precursor of vitamin A that must be converted to vitamin A in the body. Beta-carotene’s rate of conversion can be highly variable, with significant differences depending on source, preparation, and individual digestive and absorption differences. In fact, experts estimate that the conversion rate may be 12:1 or higher.

What’s the difference between vitamin K1 and vitamin K2?

Vitamin K gets its name from the German word “koagulation” because it was originally recognized for its importance to blood clotting. Eventually, two forms of vitamin K were identified, vitamin K1 (phylloquinone) and vitamin K2 (menaquinone). Much like the B vitamins, each form of K plays its own unique role in the human body. K1 is needed for coagulation. K2 is important for bone and cardiovascular health. In fact, the Rotterdam Study, a large, population-based study of older adults, found that vitamin K2 demonstrated significant support for cardiovascular health, but vitamin K1 did not.*

I’ve heard that there are different sources of vitamin K2. Can you tell me the difference? Is one source better than another?

Yes, there are different sources of vitamin K2. Both menaquinone-7 and menaquinone-4 are forms of vitamin K2 that are used in supplements. We chose menaquinone-7 because clinical studies have shown that it is more absorbable than menaquinone-4 and stays in the body longer.