It has been traditionally thought that for bone health, sufficient calcium is required. However, it is just not calcium. A vitamin called Vitamin K1 (phylloquinone) and K2 (menaquinone) in combination with Vitamin D2 and calcium is important for activating a protein called osteocalcin which binds to calcium to build bones. Osteocalcin is also involved in stimulating the growth of dentin and thus highlighting its importance for teeth enamel.
Vitamin K2 is a fat-soluble molecule and is actually a series of subtypes from MK4 to MK13. In japan a subtype called MK4 is used for the treatment of osteoporosis. It is also important to shuttle calcium away from the arteries thus making it less likely to experience cardiovascular events with 9% decrease per 10mg K2 consumption, specifically MK7, MK8 and MK9. Incidentally, K1 did not have any effect, though the K vitamins are generally important for blood clotting which is implicated in heart attacks.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19179058
Vitamin K2 may thus be useful for bone health and heart and since it is move through the body as quickly, it might have a good potential as a supplement.
The sources of vitamin K2 are unconventional: fermented foods such as Natto, egg yolk, Gouda and blue cheese among others.
