All in all, it’s a pretty special vitamin—and not just for its
blood-clotting ability or its role in supporting bone health and
heart health. Vitamin K also benefits healthy blood sugar
levels. Here’s the lowdown: People with a higher dietary intake
of vitamin K—especially vitamin K2—are significantly less likely
to develop Type 2 diabetes, according to a study published in
the journal Diabetes Care. But let’s back up the train a little
bit. Vitamin K refers to fat-soluble compounds called
anphthoquinones. Vitamin K1, also called phylloquinone, is the
natural, plant form of this nutrient, while vitamin K2, which
goes by the name menaquinone, comes from healthy bacteria in the
human gut as well as certain foods. Vitamin K3, called
menadione, is the synthetic version of vitamin K. Vitamin K1 is
found primarily in dark-green vegetables like spinach and
broccoli as well as fruits such as kiwi and avocados. In fact
one serving of spinach or two servings of broccoli provide four
to five times the RDA of K1, and mos