You may be wondering which vitamins and minerals contribute to strong teeth and bone health? You’ve probably heard about the need for calcium for most of your life, and maybe Vitamin D3 as well. Unfortunately, as is the case with most of the mainstream narrative that we are exposed to, that somewhat myopic advice isn’t fully considering how the human body functions. If you haven’t added Vitamin K2 into the equation of your health, you are likely missing a major puzzle piece to your body’s needs.

Let’s back up a bit and discuss how Vitamin K2 became part of the conversation. Dr. Weston A. Price, a dentist from the mid 1900’s, discovered the importance of Vitamin K2 in 1945 as he traveled the world to uncover the secrets of excellent oral health. He named Vitamin K2 “Activator X” and educated others about the vitamin’s plethora of benefits.

Vitamin K2 is a fat soluble powerhouse vitamin that supports healthy dental, bone, heart, nerve and brain health. It also supports healthy aging and energy production in the cell. K2 is largely missing in the modern diet due to the absence of traditional animal foods. It can be most abundantly found in foods such as aged cheese, raw milk, and egg yolks, and butter from grass-fed/pastured animals.

One of the primary roles of Vitamin K2 is to regulate calcium and guide it to the right places in the body. For example, it keeps calcium out of soft tissues, such as arteries, and directs it to bones and teeth, where calcium actually belongs. This is why the mainstream advice to take calcium and D3, without addressing Vitamin K2, could actually be damaging to our health.

It’s important not to confuse Vitamin K2 with Vitamin K1. Vitamin K1, or phylloquinone, can be found in green leafy vegetables and in small amounts in fruit. While it is also beneficial to our health, it’s certainly very different from Vitamin K2. Vitamin K1 aids in blood clotting, while Vitamin K2 directs calcium in the body. The only plant-based food that contains Vitamin K2 is natto, which is made from fermented soybeans. This is why consuming animal products is necessary for proper K2 levels, unless relying on Vitamin K2 supplementation only.

As I’ve talked about in my post about Vitamin (Hormone) D3, it is my preference to get most (or at least some) of our nutrients from our food before looking to supplementation. In our family we choose to consume raw milk, raw cheese, butter, and plenty of egg yolks from high quality, pastured sources. However, we do also supplement with K2 to ensure that our levels are optimal. Our favorite Vitamin K2 supplement can be found here. This company is known for their high quality and effective supplements, and this supplement contains the necessary forms and ratios of Vitamin K2 for optimal absorption.

As always, please consult with a trusted medical professional when making any supplement or significant diet changes. This post is not medical advice. Hopefully it is, however, enough information to get your wheels turning on figuring out the best method to consume more of what your body needs for optimal dental and overall health.