The enormous benefits of Vitamin K2 MK-4 are not well known. The proper amount of K2 MK-4 works in harmony with vitamin-D causing the body to put calcium where it is needed and to remove it from where it is not needed. The deficiency in the American diet of the fat soluble vitamins A, D, E, and including K contributes to several health problems — including osteoporosis, obesity, heart-attacks, and cancer, strokes, diabetes, stunted growth, women’s inability to conceive and to have children as healthy as they could be, and the list goes on.
It is fascinating to me how the micronutrients available in the above vitamins can have such a far reaching effect on our health. Then to know that they are naturally occurring and were common in the diet of our ancestors. Our modern processed foods have taken much of them out. And this appears correlated with why Americans spend more on medical expenses per-capita than any other country and yet have poorer health than many other countries.
I read an article in WISE TRADITIONS IN FOOD, FARMING, AND THE HEALING ARTS, a publication of The Weston A. Price Foundation, entitled, “VITAMIN K.” (Vol. 21 No. 1, Spring 2020). It is a most enlightening article, and changed my paradigm. Regarding this very important vitamin, it gave me a healing path for some of the health challenges I have been having.
Who are the Healthiest People on the Planet?
Dr. Weston A. Price asked that question back in the 1930s, Price, born in Canada, was a dentist and had shifted his interest to nutrition. In 1939, he published Nutrition and Physical Degeneration, detailing his global travels studying the diets and nutrition of various cultures. The book concludes that aspects of a modern Western diet (particularly flour, sugar, and modern processed vegetable fats) cause nutritional deficiencies that are a cause of many dental issues and health problems. The dental issues he observed include the proper development of the facial structure (to avoid overcrowding of the teeth) in addition to dental caries.
“In his studies, Price found a fat-soluble vitamin he called Activator X. He believed it was a missing nutrient in our modern diet and that its absence could explain many of our modern diseases.” (Schlinsog & Schlinsog, p37, In Defense of Vitamin K2 MK-4; Dr. Price’s Activator X,” WISE TRADITION in Food, Farming and the Healing Arts, Vol 21, No. 1)
So, Activator X is Vitamin K2 MK-4, and Dr. Price found some of the most healthy people on the planet are the Australian Aborigines who not only have no dental caries, but no other diseases as well. One of their main staples was the Emu and it’s oil which contains Vitamin K2 MK-4. A male Emu sets on the eggs laid by the female for 56 days living on no other food or water except for this oil stored in his body. That is one dedicated father. It is the richest source of Dr. Price’s Activator X on the planet. I learned about it from the above article and ordered some from walkabouthealthproducts.com.
In 2005 Edna’s sister Corrine passed, and we made the 12 hour drive to Taylor, AZ, to go to the funeral. I developed blood clots in my legs from sitting too long, and have been fighting circulation issues ever since with clots going to my heart, my lungs, and to my brain. I have had painful ulcers on my ankles. I could not wear a shoe for about a half year. Some herbal treatments helped, and when I discovered Emu oil’s healing powers, I started using it. I am so happy to share that those painful ulcers have reduced with consistent topical application.
In October 2025, the Weston Price Foundation held a conference in Salt Lake City. Our son, Nathan, was able to go. It is through that foundation that I got to know the people at Walk About Health Products. They have become friends. Here you see a picture of Bret, Nate, Liz and Will Schlinsog. I was so happy that Nathan could meet these wonderful people. They have been a significant blessing in my life.
I original wrote this blog article some years ago. Now, I am updating it with significant new information. Just 17 days ago, on the 28th of October 2025, knowing that I still have lower leg circulation problems, I felt impressed to call Bret, where I get my Emu oil. He told me of taking Emu oil internally has significant benefits for problems like mine; so I started taking two capsules three times a day with meals, and I am happy to report that I am seeing those significant benefits, as I edit this article today on the 14 of November 2025–only 17 days later. I have been fighting these blood circulation problems for twenty years.
The pain in my ankle that has kept me from getting a good night’s sleep for many years is nearly gone. We all know how important a good night’s sleep is for healing body, mind, and spirit, coupled with prayer. I am happy to report that I am sleeping now through the night without pain; that sure feels good. Bret told me that the Emu oil mixes with the digestion juices to give maximum benefit. He told me of a lady with much worse problems but some ways similar to mine and she had increased her rate to ten capsules per day. I am now increasing my rate and am very happy with the results. Living with pain is not fun, but I have learned a lot along the way. I am happy to share this very good news with you.
“A medical doctor in her late forties noticed a small cavity… It was discolored and craterous. [A year later] she had a dental examination. The dentist could find no cavity and no receding gums. She attributes vitamin K2 MK-4 in Emu oil for activating the vitamin K-dependent protein osteocalcin and healing the cavity.” (p 42 Wise Traditions, The Weston A Price Foundation, Vol. 21 No. 1, Spring 2020; westonprice.org)
Good Food Sources for Vitamin K2
When you look at the good sources of K2 MK-4 below, you will see why the modern American diet is deficient. Our highly processed foods and depleted soils have led us away from health. Whole foods grown without pesticides and chemicals were what our ancestors ate, and they were healthier and stronger than we are now on average.
From the above article, I gleaned the following as excellent sources of Vitamin K2 MK-4. The measurements are in ng/g. An ng (nano-gram) is one billionth of a gram. A cubic centimeter of water weighs one gram. So, you see, this measure is in units of one billionth of the item; you can get an idea of the potency of this vitamin with this measure with such tiny densities:
ITEM VITAMIN K2 MK-4 PREVALENCE (ng/g)
Emu oil (Walkabout) 4200
Goose Liver Pâté 3700
Duck Fat 1177
Egg yolk (pastured) 352
Ghee 316
Butter oil 221
Butter (Land O’Lakes) 216
Lard 172
Chicken liver (Farm) 103
Cheddar cheese 99
Difference Between K1 and K2
Most people don’t know; I didn’t, that vitamin K1 and K2 act very differently in the body and come from very different food sources. K1 comes mainly from leafy greens — cooked kale, spinach, and collards being three of the best sources. Some kinds of vitamin K2 come from fermentation processes. Fermented Natto is an excellent source, which is common in Japan, but not in the USA. Grass-fed-animal meats (especially the livers — goose liver pâté being outstanding) and free-range eggs are high in K2. The fermentation process in cheeses provides a good source — brie and Gouda being some of the best — but you have to eat a lot of cheese to get enough for what the body needs.
The above cited article shares the variety of K2 vitamin chains. I learned for the first time from this article that Dr. Price’s Activator X is Vitamin K2 MK-4 — an extremely important find for me. I also learned for the first time from this article in their list of SIDE EFFECTS OF SYNTHETIC VITAMIN K2 MK-7; quoting from this article:
“When taking K2 MK-7 supplements, patients report allergic reactions, insomnia and heart palpitations, which were resolved when they stopped taking it. ‘I had to quit taking K2 MK-7. It was causing extreme arrhythmia. We tried three different brands of synthetic K2 : two different MK-7s supplements… My wife had the same reaction to all of them: a bad skin rash, severe anxiety, and heart pounding. We know it was the supplement because she didn’t change anything else.’ These experiences make it very clear: we need to get our vitamin K2 from food!” [or natural sources – not synthetic].
Vitamin K2 – Bones – Teeth – Arteries
In the above-cited article from “Wise Traditions,” you learn that vitamin K2 MK-4 guides calcium into the bones and teeth, where we want it to be. And it will remove calcium from areas where we don’t want it to be, like soft tissues and arteries, for example, where calcium can cause hardening of the arteries. K2 is really critical for keeping our bones strong and our arteries clear. The K2 deficiency in the American diet is a significant contributor to the osteoporosis epidemic (brittle bones), heart attacks, strokes, and the deficiency contributes to many other diseases as well.
Allegorically, Americans are digging their graves with their teeth. Most Americans are addicted to sugar. There are over a hundred different kinds of sugar and only eight of them are good for you. Table sugar, C₁₂H₂₂O₁₁, is a slow poison. Read your food labels.
Importance of Vitamin D
In 2005 I learned the importance of vitamin-D. Subsequently, I learned some additional important lessons from Dr. John J. Cannell, who heads the Vitamin D Council and from Dr. Joseph Mercola. In addition, note the following: Vitamin D deficiency is typically a high-latitude problem. For example, there is no MS (multiple sclerosis) on the equator — a devastating autoimmune disease.
The UVB band of sunlight, which generates vitamin D-3 in your skin, bounces off the atmosphere when the sun angle gets down to low angles below about 40 degrees from the horizon. That occurs at high latitudes on the Earth, and when you are two or three months from the winter solstice, when the sun angle starts getting low in the sky. During that time, my wife and I supplement with 5,000 IU of vitamin D-3 per day. However, supplemental D-3 is not nearly as effective as that from the sun. Don’t use sunscreens while getting your vitamin D from the sun; it is linked to cancer. Get a natural tan.
An interesting side note that Dr. Mercola points out is that the vitamin D, generated by the sun on our skin is actually an oil, which is the healthiest way to get it. So if one takes a shower with soap after sunbathing, it gets washed off. If you wait a day for it to be absorbed or take a shower without soap, then you retain the benefits of the sunlight.
I enjoy the sunshine on my mountain bike almost every day and soak in the beauties of nature and commune with the Creator of them all. That exercise is great for cardio, the knees, great for eye exercise, and for getting new ideas, as well as getting the Vitamin D that I need.
We should not ignore the enormous benefits of Vitamin K2 working in harmony with Vitamin D for keeping our bodies healthy, strengthening our immune systems against pandemics, and preventing other serious health issues. Let the sun shine in. The light of the sun is the light of Christ, and the light of our lives. (John 1:9; 5:12)
David W. Allan