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MK-7 is another popular supplemental menaquinone, and is known to be pretty much unique to fermented soy products (also found in other fermented products, but to a much lower level. It has a molar mass of 649.0 and 100mcg of MK-7 is equivalent to 154nmol. MK-7 is not the only long-chain menaquinone (fermented foods also possess MK-8 and MK-9 but it is the most popular supplemental form of a long-chain menaquinone. Phylloquinone and MK-4 are thought to be more similar than MK-4 and MK-7 as the prolongation of the chain increases lipophilicity (fat solubility).
Supplemental MK-7 (90-360mcg) has been noted to increase plasma MK-7 concentrations without increasing phylloquinone concentrations, but is able to dose-dependently reduce levels of uncarboxylated proteins (ucOC and dephoshorylated ucMGP) with the reduction in dp-ucMGP being quantified at 31% (180μg) and 46% (360μg) and ucOC being reduced by 60% (180μg) and 74% (360μg), although not all MGP species are affected. MK-7 has also been noted to not affect thrombin status.
When comparing MK-7 against MK-4, the efficacy of long chain menaquinones such as MK-7 on blood clotting seem to exceed that of phylloquinone and MK-4, which is thought to be due to the prolonged half-life relative to other forms of Vitamin K.
MK-7 is similar to MK-4 in the sense that it does not increase phylloquinone concentrations, but can support the Vitamin K cycle and improve vitamin status in the body. Unlike MK-4, you can modify the diet to get sufficient MK-7 (albeit only natto, really) and for most instances MK-7 is more bioactive than MK-4 on a weight basis *
