Vitamin K and arterial health Vitamin K is also required by matrix Gla-protein (MGP) and other calcium-regulating proteins in your arteries. MGP needs vitamin K to function properly. Without sufficient vitamin K, inactive MGP can build up in your arteries, allowing calcium to bind to the arterial wall. As we age, it is especially important to maintain sufficient levels of vitamin K for both arterial and bone health. Adequate vitamin K intake has been shown to be vitally important to healthy bone density in postmenopausal women. Long-lasting vitamin K2 menaquinones Vitamin K2 (a group of related compounds called menaquinones) is found in meat, eggs and dairy products. K2 is also made to some extent by bacteria in the human gut, which provides a certain amount of your vitamin K requirement. Still, vitamin K supplementation is a good idea, and K2 is an ideal choice.