Breakthrough MenaQ7® Cardiovascular Study
Findings from a large clinical study, published in Thrombosis and Haemostasis, signal Vitamin K2 as MK-7 as a potential game-changer for the cardiovascular health category. Scientists at the University of Maastricht (the Netherlands) performed a double-blind, randomized, intervention study of 244 postmenopausal women given either 180 mcg of Vitamin K2 as MK-7 (as MenaQ7®) or a placebo daily for 3 years.
Using ultrasound and pulse-wave velocity measurements (recognized as standard measurements for cardiovascular health), researchers determined that carotid artery distensibility was significantly improved for a 3-year period in the MenaQ7® group as compared with that of a placebo group, especially in women having high arterial stiffness. Also, pulse-wave velocity showed a statistically significantly decrease after 3 years for the Vitamin K2 (MK-7) group, but not for the placebo group, demonstrating an increase in the elasticity and reduction in age-related arterial stiffening, again, especially in women having high arterial stiffness.
This first intervention trial on MK-7 supplements and cardiovascular endpoints showed that 3-year supplementation with a daily, nutritional dose (180 mcg) of MenaQ7® was enough to actually decreased arterial stiffness in healthy post-menopausal women.
And now a new 1-year trial has published – this time examining the impact of K2 supplementation (as MenaQ7®) on male and female populations – confirming cardiovascular benefits.
A pre-selected group of 243 vitamin K-insufficient subjects (men and women) were randomly included in a placebo-controlled, double-blind 1-year supplementation study using non-invasive diagnostic method evaluating whether an effect of vitamin K2-supplementation (180 μg MK-7 as MenaQ7®) may be demonstrated within one year.
Arterial stiffness was concluded from the carotid-femoral pulse-wave velocity (cfPWV), and other vascular characteristics were measured by echotracking of the common carotid artery. In the total study group, MK-7 induced a significant decrease of both dp-ucMGP and cfPWV.
It was concluded that high vitamin K intake decreased age-related vascular stiffening (consistent with outcomes in two previous 3-year studies), but this is the first time that vascular effect was observed within one year of treatment.