Vitamin K has an obscure history, and isn’t properly understood by even people who take supplements and multivitamins. Vitamin K and Testosterone have an even more esoteric relationship, one that doctors and researchers are only just no beginning to unravel.
Before we go further, if you haven’t already done so, you should make sure to read our other articles about what Free Testosterone actually is and how Testosterone Impacts the Whole Body.
What You Need to Know:
Testosterone and SHBG
Most of my readers are probably already experts on sex-hormone binding globulin, or SHBG. It’s the red blood cell that 70% of our Total-T is bound to. It turns out that this blood cell, along with Vitamin K, is necessary for proper blood clotting.
A helper protein that brings all these thing together is called Protein S, and it’s made in the testes’ Leydig cells–along with nearly all of the Testosterone in the male body. Upon further research, it was determined that Protein S and SHBG are nearly identical in every way–chemically and in how they behave in our bodies.
Putting it All Together
Let’s take a quick detour into blood thinners. After scientists linked blood clotting to Vitamin K, and then that to Protein S, they wondered if they could prevent excess bleeding in people taking blood thinners to prevent stroke and heart failure.
It turned out that Vitamin K could keep proper blood clotting going, even when someone takes prescription blood thinners. Even more, they found that Testosterone increased in every Vitamin K application.
This got some hormone researchers (endocrinologists, if you’re interested for crossword purposes) interested in Vitamin K. They found that every process of using testosterone in the body needed Vitamin K for proper function. What’s more, long-term studies of adolescents entering puberty found that the higher levels of Vitamin K led directly to higher levels of Testosterone in the subjects.
So Where Can I Get Some Vitamin K?
Vitamin K is what’s referred to as a fat-soluble Vitamin, which means you can store large amounts of it in your tissue, and your body can access it as needed. That’s great news if you find a food source in season, and want to pack it on for the Winter.
What’s not great news for everyone is that many of the foods that are naturally high in Vitamin K are those that not everyone likes:
If none of that sounds particularly appealing to you, especially to eat on a daily basis, then we have some better news. Of all the T-Boosters that we’ve researched and rated at the Great Green Wall, 4 of our Best 5 contain Vitamin K.
What’s even better news is that all of them partner it with Vitamin D, which research has shown increases the T-Boosting effects of both vitamins.
Conclusion
I have friends that are practicing healthcare professionals, and one of them said to me once, “Do you ever recommend someone take their vitamins, or just Amazonian herbs no one has heard of?” I laughed, she laughed. And then I recommend she take some Ashwagandha.
In all seriousness, it’s important we don’t neglect the old-standards, the Vitamin regimens we may let slip as we’re looking for the next homeopathic remedy. In this case, increased Vitamin K really can lead to significant Testosterone production. And we don’t have to eat a bushel of kale to get it, thanks to some quality supplements readily available to ship to our doors.