NutriStack
Ox Bile and Vitamin K2, a synergy.
Ox bile can enhance absorption of Vitamin K2 by promoting the bile-salt micelle formation that menaquinone requires to cross the gut wall. This matters clinically because vitamin K2 supports coagulation and bone/vascular calcium handling, and people with low bile output are prone to fat-soluble vitamin underabsorption.
One pair, every claim cited. The two substances, the type, the mechanism, the recommendation, and the primary literature.
Same shape as the other 1,729 pairs in the public database.
From the interaction database
What the row says.
Every entry follows the same shape: what is happening, the mechanism, the recommendation, and the primary literature.
At a glance
- Substances
- Ox Bile and Vitamin K2
- Pair type
- Synergy
- Evidence (highest tier)
- Moderate
- Source citations
- 3 sources
- Stack Score effect
- +2 to your Stack Score (per scored synergy row).
- Scope
- Supplement × Supplement
- Last verified
- May 30, 2026
Synergy · Moderate evidence
Synergy
What is happening. Ox bile can enhance absorption of Vitamin K2 by promoting the bile-salt micelle formation that menaquinone requires to cross the gut wall. This matters clinically because vitamin K2 supports coagulation and bone/vascular calcium handling, and people with low bile output are prone to fat-soluble vitamin underabsorption.
Mechanism. Vitamin K2 (menaquinone) is a fat-soluble vitamin whose intestinal absorption requires solubilization into bile-salt mixed micelles, the same pathway used by vitamins A, D, and E. In vivo perfusion studies show menaquinone uptake rises as bile salt concentration and long-chain fatty acid availability increase, and bile-acid sequestrant drugs that deplete intestinal bile salts reduce vitamin K absorption. By supplying conjugated bile acids, ox bile can improve K2 micellization and absorption in people with insufficient endogenous bile (cholecystectomy, cholestasis, or general fat malabsorption).
Recommendation. If you take Vitamin K2 (MK-7 or MK-4) and have reduced bile flow (post-gallbladder, cholestasis, or fat malabsorption), take it with ox bile and a meal containing some fat to support uptake. If you take a vitamin-K-antagonist anticoagulant (such as warfarin), do not change vitamin K intake or absorption-enhancing habits without telling your prescriber, since better K2 absorption could affect anticoagulation control. People with normal bile function usually only need to take K2 with a fatty meal.
Minimum separation. Take together with a fat-containing meal (co-administration intended; no separation needed).
Sources (3)
- In vivo intestinal absorption studies showing vitamin K2 uptake depends on bile salts, long-chain fatty acids, and luminal pH.
- Reviews of vitamin K metabolism and cell biology describing bile-dependent micellar absorption of menaquinones.
- NIH Office of Dietary Supplements vitamin K professional fact sheet, noting that bile-acid sequestrants reduce vitamin K absorption.
Stack Score
How this pair moves the number.
Effect on the composite score
If both Ox Bile and Vitamin K2 are in the same stack, this pair applies +2 to your Stack Score (per scored synergy row).
The full algorithm, the clamping rules, and four worked stacks are documented at /methodology/stack-score.
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