Where's a good place to be in the K range for labs?

Lisey
on 6/18/11 12:08 pm - Milwaukee suburb, WI
I FINALLY got my Vit K back.  It was 167 with a range of 80 - 1,160

I had been taking 1,000mcg dry K1 & 100 dry K2, together with zinc & my multivite.  I pla on adding in a second K2 to that batch since it interferes with A absorption & already take A 3x daily, aside from the iron dose.  I am then going to add in a sublingual K1.

Does anyone have a good sense of where K should be in the range?  It looks like mine could be higher & my coagulation markers were in the high range - and I don't think the coagulation elevations were due to anything else.  I couldn't find anything else online & I'm usually pretty good at scrounging up info.

HW / SW / CW / GW      299 / 287160 / 140     Feb '09 / Mar '09 / Dec '13 /Aug '10          

Appendicitis/Bowel Obstruction Surgery 8/21/10
Beat Hodgkin's Lymphoma!  7/15/2011 - 1/26/2012 


Ran Half-Marathon 10/14/2012

First Pregnancy, Due 8/12/14                             I LOVE MY DS!!!
 

beemerbeeper
on 6/18/11 1:20 pm - AL
I dunno but will watch this thread for answers.  Doesn't osteocalcin also measure K?

~Becky


Lisey
on 6/18/11 1:24 pm, edited 6/18/11 1:24 pm - Milwaukee suburb, WI

Yes, or maybe a better way to put it is that osteocalcin is dependent on/ needs K to do its job of forming new bone matrix (along with D & calcium).  My osteocalcin was 35 with 35.4 ending the normal range.  Really seems to me that although my 167 K is in the normal range, for K to be effective in the body, maybe the minimum value for the normal range should be higher, like MUCH higher.  Looking forward to more opinions!

HW / SW / CW / GW      299 / 287160 / 140     Feb '09 / Mar '09 / Dec '13 /Aug '10          

Appendicitis/Bowel Obstruction Surgery 8/21/10
Beat Hodgkin's Lymphoma!  7/15/2011 - 1/26/2012 


Ran Half-Marathon 10/14/2012

First Pregnancy, Due 8/12/14                             I LOVE MY DS!!!
 

beemerbeeper
on 6/18/11 1:52 pm - AL
My K was .44 with a range given of .1-2.2
My osteocalcin was 32.

What do you make of those?

Thanks,

Becky


Lisey
on 6/18/11 2:09 pm - Milwaukee suburb, WI
Assuming that our osteocalcin range was the same or thereabouts, which it appears to be, I would say both of us need to raise our K.  If you take .44 as a % of the top normal value of your range (.44/2.2)*100, then you are at about 20% of where the highest normal value would be.

If I do the same (167/1060)*100, then I'm at about 16% of the highest normal value.

In general, it seems that we always decide (or, I guess the vets have decided based on yrs of labwork), that the higher end of normal for straight out vitamins is what we aim for - I'm not talking about biological things in the body like PTH or PT or INR, etc - just plain old vitamins.  I would think that it also makes sense to go for the mid to upper portion of the range of K.

For your range, a median 50% would be (2.2 - .1)/2 = 1.05
A median 50% value of my range would be (1060-80)/2 = 490

And that's just to be in the exact middle of the ranges.  I can't think of any good reason why we wouldn't want to at least aim for the middle of the range.

HW / SW / CW / GW      299 / 287160 / 140     Feb '09 / Mar '09 / Dec '13 /Aug '10          

Appendicitis/Bowel Obstruction Surgery 8/21/10
Beat Hodgkin's Lymphoma!  7/15/2011 - 1/26/2012 


Ran Half-Marathon 10/14/2012

First Pregnancy, Due 8/12/14                             I LOVE MY DS!!!
 

MajorMom
on 6/18/11 8:08 pm, edited 6/18/11 8:08 pm - VA
I aim for mid range on the K1. Osteocalcin for K2--lower is better. I haven't seen my labs for osteocalcin yet but Vitalady has said you want the osteocalcin lower, and similar to PTH and calcium, add K2 to lower it. Dana says watch for trends on the osteocalcin as well. So, I'm impatiently waiting on my lab results to be sent.

--gina

5'1" -- HW 195/SW 187/GW 115 July 08/CW 121 Dec 2012
                                 ******GOAL*******

Starting BMI between 35 and 40ish? 
Join us on the
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DS on Aug 9, 2007 with Dr. Hazem Elariny

Lisey
on 6/18/11 10:06 pm, edited 6/18/11 10:10 pm - Milwaukee suburb, WI
There is only one test for actual Vit K, right?  I'm not missing a separate k1 & k2 tests, right?  You're just saying to look at the osteocalcin as an indicator of whether you're taking enough k2, yes?

What do you think of my doubling up on K2 in the same dose?  Right now, I've added in a morning & evening Vectomega, which I'm taking alone both times just in case it interferes with other vit absorption, but I'm also already taking 5 separate vite batches.  Is it really worth squeezing in a separate, additional K2 by itself or do you think it's okay to just double up on it in the batch I already take it in?

HW / SW / CW / GW      299 / 287160 / 140     Feb '09 / Mar '09 / Dec '13 /Aug '10          

Appendicitis/Bowel Obstruction Surgery 8/21/10
Beat Hodgkin's Lymphoma!  7/15/2011 - 1/26/2012 


Ran Half-Marathon 10/14/2012

First Pregnancy, Due 8/12/14                             I LOVE MY DS!!!
 

MajorMom
on 6/18/11 10:19 pm - VA
I take K2 with my 2 big batches and I don't worry so much about mixing and matching unless my labs indicate I'm not absorbing something critical like A or D, or zinc or copper. The only thing I'm really mindful of keeping separate is iron from calcium and other vites. I don't know that doubling up K2 in one batch is all that bad but I've seen time and again that spreading vites out is better than trying to put them all together in one colossal batch.

As young as you are, I'll bet your osteocalcin isn't too bad. So, you may only want to take one dose until you get some labs or a dexa scan indicating you need more.
 
--g

5'1" -- HW 195/SW 187/GW 115 July 08/CW 121 Dec 2012
                                 ******GOAL*******

Starting BMI between 35 and 40ish? 
Join us on the
Lightweights Board!
DS on Aug 9, 2007 with Dr. Hazem Elariny

Lisey
on 6/18/11 10:25 pm - Milwaukee suburb, WI
I did get osteocalcin done on 6/8.  The range is 11.3 - 35.4 and mine came in at 35.  I also was just diagnosed (with mri + I have the symptoms) of osteoarthritis in my knees.  I'm only 34, but my mom developed symptoms of OA in her knees when she was 32.  I also have OA in my left shoulder, but that set in b/c of a bad shoulder injury.  My PTH was really good, though :)

HW / SW / CW / GW      299 / 287160 / 140     Feb '09 / Mar '09 / Dec '13 /Aug '10          

Appendicitis/Bowel Obstruction Surgery 8/21/10
Beat Hodgkin's Lymphoma!  7/15/2011 - 1/26/2012 


Ran Half-Marathon 10/14/2012

First Pregnancy, Due 8/12/14                             I LOVE MY DS!!!
 

MajorMom
on 6/18/11 10:49 pm - VA
Ok, you're right. 2 doses of K2 but see if you can split them with your batches of regular vites. You're going to drive yourself nuts trying to separate everything.

5'1" -- HW 195/SW 187/GW 115 July 08/CW 121 Dec 2012
                                 ******GOAL*******

Starting BMI between 35 and 40ish? 
Join us on the
Lightweights Board!
DS on Aug 9, 2007 with Dr. Hazem Elariny

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