While we are all familiar with the vitamins at the beginning of the alphabet, like Vitamin A, all the Bs, Vitamin C, D, and E, many people aren't very aware of Vitamin K...and that's not okay.

How DOES Your Body Do It?

All of the processes going on in our cells to make energy, rebuild/breakdown bones, keep our blood moving and our hearts beating and all the other miraculous things going on that we don't have to think about -- all require nutrients like vitamins and minerals to get the job done. Yet, it wasn't until 2007 that Vitamin K2 started to get the attention of researchers. They started to see what the body did with K2, how important it is, and that most of us are deficient in it.

Our ancestors probably got more K2 in their diets than we do today. Vitamin K2 comes from organ meats, egg yolks, and fermented foods. Our modern Standard American Diet is definitely lacking in these foods, and we are starting to see the long-term consequences. In 1975, Harvard researchers began to realize that all those leafy green vegetables that are so good for us are high in Vitamin K, but that's when they noticed there were actually two forms of the vitamin. Even with all of our "big salads" were weren't getting enough vitamin K and especially K2.

They also observed that Vitamin K2 was the activator for osteocalcin, which grabs calcium from the bloodstream and redirects it to the teeth and bones. Vitamin D3 acts as the transporter for calcium, but without K2, it doesn't become useful to our skeletal system.

By now, you've heard there is a strong connection between dental health and heart health. At first blush, that may seem kind of weird. But part of the "secret sauce" of the heart and dental relationship researchers now realize is Vitamin K2; and, that it is an essential contributor to both heart and dental health.

Why Vitamin K2 Is So Important

First, without K2 redirecting calcium to the bones and teeth, it can travel to our arteries and calcify. So, even if you're taking good care of your teeth, without K2, you could have weak teeth, cavities, periodontal disease, and more. At the same time, that calcium has to go somewhere and it can be getting layered in your circulatory system which causes a whole host of other problems.

Second, more and more studies point to the master role of our biome to our health. Researchers are now also looking at the role K2 plays in the oral microbiome - the good (and bad) bacteria held in a delicate balance in the mouth. When the balance tips toward the bad bacteria, gum disease, plaque, and tartar appear. K2 appears to balance the biome and reverse the build-up of tartar and plaque and breakdown of our teeth caused by bad bacteria. They now believe a lack of K2 is leading to many oral diseases.

Scientists are now questioning if our move towards foods with little or no K1 or K2 has given rise to many of the life-threatening and chronic conditions that plague us today compared to previous generations. Deficiencies of K2 can appear as varicose veins, metabolic syndrome X, arterial plaque, periodontal disease, plaque and tartar, and kidney concretions.

How To Get More K2

You're probably thinking, "I want some of that K2 stuff!" We can't blame you!

When we began creating our Nature's Optimal Nutrition liquid vitamin complex, we were already looking at the research and KNEW we wanted to include K2.

Like most people, we weren't too keen on eating goose liver and stinky cheeses every day to ensure we had enough K2 in our diets; and we found in the research that most people don't convert K1 into K2 well at all so that "big salad" wasn't doing the trick either.

We also found that most vitamin companies used the synthetic form of K2 called MK4. MK4 has a very short half-life, and because of that, you need to take it multiple times each day. The far-superior form is MK7; patented as Menaq7, which is derived from fermented natto, is more bio-identical to the K2 your body creates (poorly) from K1, and is more quickly absorbed into the bloodstream...so it gets to work fast!

Our unique liquid vitamin delivers 45 micrograms of K2 in a serving along with 2,000 I.U.s of Vitamin D3 to work with K2 transporting calcium appropriately.

Take a look at this amazing, comprehensive formula for all your health needs. We developed it because it meets our own personal requirements - we made something we want to take and we're very, very picky.  Our formula is packed full of 140+ vitamins, minerals, fruits, superfoods, veggies, herbs, spices, and more.

And, now you know a bit more about K2, why it's in our ultra-premium liquid vitamin, and how it can help you improve and maintain your health, your heart, and your smile.

We know, that's quite a label! If you made this far down, you can see that Nature's Optimal Nutrition is a full spectrum liquid vitamin aligned with clinical research to give you the most cutting-edge formula you could possibly need!

Give it a try - remember we offer a 120% money-back guarantee on all of our products.

Lisa Moretti is a Certified Health Coach from the Institute of Integrative Nutrition (IIN), the largest nutrition school in the world. She was at the top of her cohort in 2015. She's been involved in the natural health and supplement world professionally since 1981.