Impact of Vitamin K2 on Systemic and Oral Health

What Is Vitamin K?

Vitamin K is a pivotally essential vitamin obtained from dietary sources for blood coagulation factors and initiating the cascade of coagulation in the human body. There are two primary forms of vitamin K- phylloquinone, or vitamin K1, produced from plant and fiber sources, and menaquinone, or vitamin K2, produced naturally in the gastrointestinal tract.

Vitamin K deficiency may be multifactorial in origin, ranging from underlying genetic conditions and disorders to systemic chronic disease, smoking, chronic alcoholism, detrimental lifestyle, immunosuppression, and dietary deficiency of vitamin K-source food. These factors can interfere with this vitamin's absorption or the mechanism of action, leading to a deficiency. Newborn infants are predisposed to a higher incidence of vitamin K deficiencies than adults, where this condition is usually reported mainly due to a dietary lack of supplementation of vitamin K sources.

Vitamin K was originally discovered in 1929 as an essential vitamin important for the clotting mechanism in the body. It was initially reported as a "coagulation vitamin" in a German scientific journal. In the early 20th century, the famous dental surgeon Weston Prince also researched the mechanisms of action regarding the lack of dietary sources linking these vitamin K deficiencies in varying population groups. His particular dental research led him to conclude that this hitherto unidentified nutrient is a defense mechanism and protection for combating chronic tooth decay and erosion.

What Are the Sources and Functions of Vitamin K?

There are two primary forms of vitamin K, each with two important bodily functions. Vitamin K1's action is different from that of Vitamin K2.

Vitamin K1:

• Source: Found mainly in green leafy vegetables like spinach, kale, lettuce, broccoli, carrots, blueberries, grapes, vegetable oils, turnips, and collards, and contributes to 75 to 90 percent of dietary vitamin K.

• Absorption: Less than 10 percent of K1 will truly be absorbed, which limits its health benefits compared to leafy greens.

• Function: K1 is used for coagulation and bone health. However, it is more likely to be utilized in the liver, meaning less is available in other places in the body.

Vitamin K2:

• Source: It is derived from fermented food, meat, and cheese; the body also converts K1 to K2.

• Bioavailability: K2 is better absorbed as it almost always contains dietary fat and has a longer circulation.

• Function: It makes bone harder as calcium is placed into it, restricts unwanted deposits of calcium in the arteries, and has recently been associated with several health-related diseases, such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer, and others.

What Are the Health Advantages of Vitamin K?

• Heart Health: Vitamin K can minimize blood pressure levels and reduce the risk of heart disease by preventing calcium deposits in the arteries.

• Bone Health: Associated with higher bone density and a reduced risk for osteoporosis (a condition in which bones become weak and brittle), although more research is needed.

• Cognitive Health: Elevated K1 concentration correlates with memory improvement in elderly individuals.

• Dental Health: Vitamin K2 prevents tooth decay and can treat oral-related disorders when taken with calcium.

Importance of K2

Research has found that the human body does not supply most people with adequate K2. This is one reason most people suffer from various kinds of health problems, like heart disease and dental caries. K2 efficiently works with vitamins A and D3, allowing the body's calcium to be utilized optimally in bones and teeth.

Both phylloquinone (vitamin K1) and vitamin K2 are essential, however, K2 is much more crucial when the discussion is broad in scope because it can guarantee the proper use of calcium in the body and prevent problems due to bad calcium use.

Vitamin K1 deficiency is uncommon unless an individual has a dietary deficit in obtaining these sources, and vitamin K1 essentially functions as a blood-clotting agent.

What Are the Dental Health Benefits of Vitamin K2?

The following are the dental health benefits of vitamin K2:

• Fights Bacteria That Cause Cavities: K2 reduces the incidence of cavities and gum infection by reducing pathogenic germs in the mouth. Studies showed that butter oil enriched with K2 reduces bacteria that cause cavities to as little as 95 percent.

• Develops Healthy Facial Structure: K2 is responsible for developing a baby's jaw and fascia in the womb. Without the nutrients, the baby's teeth become crowded or crooked. Babies fed a diet enriched with K2 have straight, healthy teeth.

• Induces Formation of New Dentin: K2 activates the protein osteocalcin that induces the growth of new dentin, the layer below enamel that helps to strengthen teeth and fight against cavities.

• Slows Down Tooth Decay: Like bones, K2 slows down tooth loss by delaying the deterioration that occurs due to the natural aging process.

Vitamin K2 is responsible for protein activation and calcium deposition in the bones and teeth. It maintains the intact calcification of the bone and cartilage, preventing stunted growth and retardation, and holds an anti-inflammatory effect on the blood vessels, preventing plaque accumulation in the circulatory system. It is essential for myelin sheath formation of nerve cells, bone growth, and facial and dental development. A fundamental vitamin signals the protein pathways essential for producing vitamins A and D.

What Is the Role of Vitamin K in Osteocalcin Metabolism?

As mentioned earlier, because of its role in producing vitamins A and D by protein pathway signaling, a protein found abundantly in the human body other than collagen is osteocalcin. Osteoblast secretion is a product of vitamin A and vitamin D metabolism.

Osteocalcin plays multiple roles in bodily metabolism, ranging from its effect on the insulin hormone pathway and stabilization to its impact on sperm cells, which have high osteocalcin concentrations dependent upon the K2 vitamin.

Osteocalcin stimulates the pancreas to secrete insulin hormone and has a 24 to 36 percent approximate lowering effect upon blood glucose concentration. Osteocalcin plays a pivotal role in maintaining male fertility as it boosts and regulates the production of testosterone in men and influences the survival capacity and production of sperm.

What Is the Systemic Model Theory About Vitamin K2 in Protecting Enamel and Dentin?

In the systemic-based model of dental caries induction, researchers have suggested the importance of multifactorial causes leading to dental decay and tooth erosion. The irreversible loss of enamel and dentin layers in tooth structure, causing either caries or erosion, is mainly attributed to the enhanced bacterial microflora in the oral cavity, which leads to inflammatory responses and metalloproteinase (MPA)-based dissolution of tooth structure.

Other systemic hypothesis theories focus on affected endocrine signaling from the parotid gland and hypothalamic oxidative stress, which negatively impacts the dentinal fluid of the second layer of the tooth, the dentin layer. Vitamin K2 has the primary function of regulating calcium and inorganic phosphates.

Hence, this regulation has a direct positive or synergistic impact on the oral cavity by preserving enamel health and preventing dentin erosion. Also, dietary sugars cause dental caries to reduce or create an immune breach in oral defense mechanisms. Hence, vitamin K2 works in contrast by enhancing antioxidant properties and indirectly improving the salivary buffering capacity, thus helping protect tooth enamel and dentin.

How Does Vitamin K2 Help in Preventing Cardiovascular Disease?

Research studies and clinical trial data have shown that high dietary supplementation with vitamin K2 significantly reduces vascular damage and slows down the typical progression of atherosclerosis-related heart disease.

A higher intake of dietary vitamin K2, around 32 mcg (micrograms) per day without any additional vitamin K1 supplementation, has been associated with reduced arterial calcification, a 50 percent reduction in death from cardiovascular events, and a 25 percent reduction in all causative mortalities. Research has also shown that for every 10 mcg of dietary vitamin K2 in menaquinone 7,8,9 (MK-7, MK-8, MK-9), the risk of CHD or coronary heart disease can also be prevented or reduced by nearly nine percent.

This may be because vitamin K2 deficiency can lead to inadequate activation of MGP, increasing the risk of blood vessel wall calcification. MPG inhibits calcium from depositing on the blood vessel walls. Hence, vitamin K2 can combat and significantly reduce the risk of arterial calcification.

Conclusion:

The benefits of moderate dietary or supplemental intake of vitamin K2 are synergistic in the cardiac, dental, pancreatic, and reproductive systems. This vitamin also majorly regulates osteocalcin, which positively impacts an individual's overall systemic health.