What Is Menaquinone-4 & What Foods Can I Find It In?
Menaquinone-4, MK-4, is the most common compound in the vitamin K family.
Vitamin K is not just one vitamin.
It is the collective name for several fat-soluble compounds with similar chemical structures.
Table of Contents
Menaquinone-4 Belongs To Vitamin K2
Dietary vitamin K is found in two main forms; phylloquinone, also called vitamin K1, and menaquinones, also called vitamin K2.
Vitamin K2 has several subtypes that range from MK-4 to MK-13. Menaquinone-4, MK-4, is also known as menatetrenone. Which is the most common type of vitamin K2.(source ◳)
Menaquinone-4 is a lipid-soluble substance naturally present in foods such as meat, fish and dairy products.
It is found in lesser amounts in whole grains and in higher amounts in fortified foods.
Benefits Of Menaquinone-4
Little is known about the bioavailability of nutritional MK-4. But it has shown some health benefits through research. (source ◳)
Menaquinone-4 is believed to be good for preventing infections.
You can see what other kinds of benefits MK-4 possesses in Menaquinone-4: 3 Research-Backed Benefits .
Menaquinone-4 Absorbs Better
Some believe that because vitamin K2 is in foods that contain fat, it may better be absorbed than vitamin K1.(source ◳)
Foods You Can Find Menaquinone-4 In
You find Menaquinone-4 mostly in sausage and luncheon meat, poultry, dairy and egg products.
Examples of food sources include
- Beef & Pork Pepperoni
- Turkey Sausage
- Broilers Or Fryers Drumstick
- Meat & Poultry Frankfurter
- Turkey Frankfurter
- Meatballs
- Beef & Pork Salami
Foods in our nutrition tool
You can find regularly updated, top-ranked lists of foods for over 200+ nutrients in our nutrition tool.
If you are interested in what foods contain the most Menaquinone-4, we recommend you visit our tool.
Here's our top-ranked list of foods that contain Menaquinone-4.