If you are taking Vitamin D

Unpacking Truth

….…you may want to consider including Vitamin K2 to optimize your body's ability to direct calcium into your bones and your teeth.

History

Vitamin K is a family of fat soluble vitamins known in the forms of K1, K2, and K3. Vitamin K was discovered by two Danish researchers, Henrik Dam and Edward Doisy. They identified that Vitamin K is critical for proper blood coagulation and hence the name Vitamin K for the German word, Koagulation. Dam and Doisy won the Nobel Prize for its discovery in 1943. Several decades after being awarded the Nobel Prize, it would be discovered that Vitamin K1, K2 and K3 had very distinct roles in the body. Vitamin K1 (also known as phylloquinone) is sourced from plants like leafy greens and grass and is critical for proper blood coagulation. Vitamin K2 (aka menaquinone) is found mostly in animal tissues and is critical for proper calcium absorption. Vitamin K3 (also known as menadione) is a precursor to K2.

In 1939, about four years prior to this Nobel Prize being awarded, a renegade dentist published his seminal work that highlighted his research on fat soluble vitamins and their role in dental health. Dr. Weston Price, a dentist from Ohio, was struggling with the rampant tooth decay afflicting his patients. He had suspicions that something was missing from the diets of his patients that was contributing to the modern problem of dental cavities. He quit his dental practice to travel to foreign places to study populations of people who were isolated from Westernized food. Dr. Price specifically studied cultures that adhered to their ancestral diets and customs. He found that these individuals had healthier mouths and less disease. He pioneered the concept that there is a relationship between nutrition, dental health and facial formation. (More on facial formation and wisdom teeth for a future newsletter.)

Dr. Price identified a fat soluble vitamin that he called Activator X. He was never able to isolate and properly identify Activator X prior to his death in 1948. It would be several decades before his Activator X would become known as Vitamin K2. In 1975, Harvard researchers determined that K2 was distinct from K1 in its ability to activate osteocalcin. In 1997, researchers went on to identify that menaquinone (K2) played a crucial role in calcium deposition in the bones and the prevention of calcification in the blood vessels. By 2007, it was discovered that there is likely a widespread K2 deficiency that could be playing a crucial role in the development of atherosclerotic plaques in our arteries and the weakening of our bones and teeth.

How does Vitamin K2 Work?

Vitamin K2 has the ability to activate proteins (osteocalcin and matrix GLA protein–MGP) in our body that are responsible for moving calcium to the appropriate places (think bones and teeth) and out of the blood vessels where plaques can form. When our diets are lacking in K2, osteocalcin and MGP are not activated; they have a reduced capacity to utilize the calcium from our diets and supplements.

**The way I like to think about the relationship of calcium and K2 would be to consider the relationship of a builder (calcium) and all of his materials for construction (osteocalcin and MGP) trying to build without architectural plans (Vitamin K2).

Why are Vitamin D3 and K2 often combined?

Vitamin D is actually a hormone that our body makes from cholesterol when our skin is exposed to the sun. Almost every cell in our body has a vitamin D receptor and this hormone is known to be involved in everything from bone health, immune function, muscle strength, mood regulation and the prevention of periodontal disease. Vitamin D stimulates the production of osteocalcin and MGP which as mentioned earlier are activated by Vitamin K2.

Sources of K2

Animals that graze on green leafy plants and grass are able to convert vitamin K1 (contained in the chlorophyll of the plants) to K2 as part of the digestive process. Bacteria in their guts convert K1 to K2 and it is stored in animal tissues and fat. Humans are inefficient in their ability to convert K1 to K2 through the digestive process. It is believed that the disruption of our gut biome by the widespread use of antibiotics and chemicals in our foods has undermined humans’ ability to make K2 from K1.

When farming moved from grass fed, free range to contained and grain fed animals, we lost some of our most natural ways of obtaining K2 through our diets. Animals that are primarily grain fed are not obtaining K1 in their diets like animals that can graze in pastures. Natural sources of K2 come from aged cheeses, butter from grass fed cows, egg yolks and fermented foods like sauerkraut and the traditional Japanese dish of fermented soybeans known as Natto.

For those who wish to add supplemental K2 with their daily vitamins, you will often find it combined with Vitamin D3 because of the synergistic relationship. The type of K2 in most supplements is known as MK-7. It is sourced from natto, the bacterial fermentation of soybeans and offers options to those following vegan and vegetarian diets.

Why is K2 important to dental health?

Vitamin K2 is stored in our brains, our pancreas and our saliva. There is evidence to suggest that K2 may assist in the integrity of the oral biome by helping to minimize the presence of bacteria that can contribute to periodontal disease and tooth decay. Vitamin K2 can enhance the salivary buffering pathway by its influence on calcium. This aids in the remineralization of tooth structure. Our teeth function similarly to our bones in that they have the ability to undergo breakdown (demineralization that comes from dietary acids) and repair (remineralization by introducing calcium and phosphate into the enamel from our saliva).

The effects of K2 and its importance to dental health have not been well studied beyond the work of Dr. Price. I would insert that dentistry has been more focused on prevention in the form of fluoride and reducing sugar intake than it has been on promoting a balanced diet. It is my hope that more research funding can be directed towards prevention and in turn dental schools would include nutritional classes to help us be able to better educate our patients.

Vitamin K2 for your Heart

A major contributor to cardiovascular disease is a condition known as atherosclerosis, a calcium build up in your arteries. Vitamin K2 supplementation has demonstrated the ability to lower the risk of developing coronary heart disease. The mechanism for this action is Vitamin K2’s role in activating the proteins osteocalcin and MGP. Osteocalcin removes calcium from our blood and directs it towards our bones and teeth. Matrix gla protein (MGP) removes calcium build up from our arteries, veins and ligaments.

Vitamin K2 for your Bones

Since breaking my wrist last fall, I am most intrigued about the role of Vitamin K2 in reducing the risk of fractures due to osteoporosis. Studies have demonstrated that supplementation can have a positive effect on bone mineralization and strength. For years, women have been advised to increase their calcium intake as we age to help prevent the loss of bone associated with menopause. Unfortunately, calcium consumption in the absence of proper Vitamin D and K2 levels can lead to the previously mentioned condition of atherosclerosis.

My Final Thoughts

There is no magic bullet to optimal health. Our health is a phenomenal interplay of nutrition, exercise, sleep and many other factors. I write these newsletters to bring awareness to ways you may be able to improve your health. It seems the more I read, the more conflicted research appears to be on almost every topic of health. The most important step you can take is to read and research to the best of your ability to determine what is the correct approach for you. Before you start any vitamin or supplement, you should consult your healthcare provider. I found the books, Vitamin K2 and the Calcium Paradox by Dr. Kate Rheume-Bleue and The Dental Diet by Dr. Steven Lin to be a good starting point for a more in depth understanding of how K2 can benefit our health. The authors go into excellent detail of how different vitamins work in a synergistic way to benefit our bodies.