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Don’t Miss Our Upcoming Webinar: How Research Shape the Future of the Vitamin K2 Category

Discover how the latest research is driving the potential for Vitamin K2 on human health. Mark your calendar for an insightful webinar hosted by Nutraingredients, featuring Gnosis K2 experts.   Join us Aug 31st at 7 pm CET – 1 pm EST – 10 am PST! Beyond Bones and Heart: New Avenues for Vitamin K2 … Continue reading Don’t Miss Our Upcoming Webinar: How Research Shape the Future of the Vitamin K2 Category

Discover how the latest research is driving the potential for Vitamin K2 on human health. Mark your calendar for an insightful webinar hosted by Nutraingredients, featuring Gnosis K2 experts.
 
Join us Aug 31st at 7 pm CET – 1 pm EST – 10 am PST!

Beyond Bones and Heart: New Avenues for Vitamin K2

The Vitamin K2 category has long been established on a foundation of clinical evidence, with MenaQ7® leading the way in confirming its safe and effective health benefits across all age groups. As research continues to unfold, the known mechanisms of Vitamin K2, particularly on cardiovascular health, reveal promising associations with cognition, metabolic health, inflammation, and more. Our upcoming webinar will provide unique insights into ongoing studies and future research surrounding this essential nutrient, uncovering its next possible indications and untapped potential within the market.

 

Leading Experts in Vitamin K2 Research

Get valuable insight from Gnosis’s astute speakers: Dr. Stacey Smith, DC, Marketing & Communications Manager, and Dr. Hogne Vik, MD, PhD, MBA, Medical and Scientific Advisor. Together, their substantial knowledge will guide you through the dynamic and ever-expanding landscape of Vitamin K2, unveiling links to different areas of health, and the numerous opportunities within the category.

 

Embarking on a Journey Towards Innovation

Beyond its well-established benefits for heart and bone health, Vitamin K2 research is venturing into new territories of human health. Our speakers will present a magnifying glass into the future of the Vitamin K2 category, founded on the clinical validation of MenaQ7®. Further, the cutting-edge advancements in K2 solutions offer innovative formulations in new sought-after finished product dose forms, enhancing the value of supplements designed to support foundational health throughout all stages of life.

 

Our webinar is an opportunity to gain exclusive insights into the transformative potential of Vitamin K2 and its profound impact on human health. Equipped with this knowledge, you will be set to make informed decisions and drive the future of your Vitamin K2 Portfolio.

 

> Sign up now !

New Research Substantiates Women’s Need for Vit K2 to Protect Heart Health

Gnosis by Lesaffre (Gnosis) is eager to share new insights highlighting most women are at greater risk of developing heart disease than previously thought, as new studies have suggested that reproductive factors and menopause factors are implicated in the development of adverse cardiovascular conditions. While the findings are alarming, it punctuates the importance of Gnosis’ … Continue reading New Research Substantiates Women’s Need for Vit K2 to Protect Heart Health

Gnosis by Lesaffre (Gnosis) is eager to share new insights highlighting most women are at greater risk of developing heart disease than previously thought, as new studies have suggested that reproductive factors and menopause factors are implicated in the development of adverse cardiovascular conditions. While the findings are alarming, it punctuates the importance of Gnosis’ clinically validated MenaQ7® Vitamin K2 as MK-7.

One observational study has concluded that an earlier first birth, a higher number of births, and menarche at younger ages are linked to a higher risk of cardiovascular conditions in women. The researchers, from the Imperial College London’s National Heart & Lung Institute, performed a comprehensive analysis of reproductive factors specific to women and their links to a range of cardiovascular diseases, including atrial fibrillation (irregular heart rate), coronary heart disease, heart failure, and stroke.

 

Using a technique called Mendelian Randomization, the researchers revealed an association between the genes that predict reproductive factors and the risk of multiple cardiovascular diseases. According to British Heart Foundation data, coronary heart disease kills more than twice as many women as breast cancer in the UK.[1]

 

“Women are often mischaracterized as being at low risk for cardiovascular disease, leading to delays in diagnosis. Even when they are diagnosed, they tend to receive less targeted treatment than men,” states Dr. Maddalena Ardissino, of the National Heart and Lung Institute at Imperial College, London, and lead study author.

 

Her colleague, Dr. Fu Siong Ng, senior author of the study, noted, “Many of the previous studies on cardiovascular disease have focused on men, but our research shows that there are sex-specific factors that influence the risk for women.”

 

Earlier research has established a causative link between menopause and increased risk of cardiovascular disease. In their review, El Khoudary et al. highlight that women transitioning through menopause experience “their arteries become more vulnerable to disease, getting thicker and stiffer.” They note that reported findings “underline the significance of MT [menopause transition] as a time of accelerating CVD risk, thereby emphasizing the importance of monitoring women’s health during midlife, a critical window for implementing early intervention strategies to reduce CVD risk.”[2]

 

One such strategy is simple and proven: supplementing with vitamin K2 menaquinone-7 (MK-7). In two groundbreaking human clinical trials[3,4], daily supplementation with 180 mcg of MenaQ7â Vitamin K2 as MK-7 was found to protect cardiovascular function in women. Namely, activating the K-dependent protein Matrix Gla Protein (MGP) led to improved arterial stiffness in the supplement groups.

 

“Gnosis by Lesaffre works with world-renowned researchers to confirm the safe and effective health benefits of MenaQ7 Vitamin K2 as MK-7,” says Jean-Francois Jeanne, Substantiation & Applications Team Manager. “Elucidating the important mechanism of activating K-dependent proteins, including osteocalcin and MGP, was foundational to that work.

 

“Supplementing with K2 as MK-7 is a simple, natural tool for women to protect their heart and cardiovascular system,” he continues. “As new research emerges that confirms the high risk of heart disease in women, the greater the need for sustainable, natural and inexpensive tools such as vitamin K2 as MenaQ7 for protecting the cardiovascular structure and function in women as they age.”

 

References

1 Ardissino M, et al. “Sex‐Specific Reproductive Factors Augment Cardiovascular Disease Risk in Women: A Mendelian Randomization Study. Journal of the American Heart Association, 2023

2 El Khoudary SR, et al. “Menopause Transition and Cardiovascular Disease Risk: Implications for Timing of Early Prevention: A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association” Circulation 2020 142(25):e506-e532

3 Vermeer C and Vik H, “Effect of Menaquinone-7 (vitamin K2) on vascular elasticity in healthy subjects: results from a one-year study” Vascul Dis Ther, 2020 5:1-4.

4 Knapen MHJ, et al. “Menaquinone-7 supplementation improves arterial stiffness in healthy postmenopausal women: double-blind randomised clinical trial” Thrombosis and Haemostasis 2015 113.5

Researcher Defends Vitamin K2 Doctoral Thesis

  PhD candidate supported by a research grant awarded to NattoPharma (now Gnosis by Lesaffre) attains his degree, continues to build evidence of K2 cardiovascular and bone benefits.   MARCQ-EN-BAROEUL, FRANCE AND EAST BRUNSWICK, NJ (10 MAR 2022) – PhD candidate Grzegorz Wasilewski defended his thesis on February 22, 2022, at Maastricht University, Cardiovascular Research … Continue reading Researcher Defends Vitamin K2 Doctoral Thesis

 

PhD candidate supported by a research grant awarded to NattoPharma (now Gnosis by Lesaffre) attains his degree, continues to build evidence of K2 cardiovascular and bone benefits.

 

MARCQ-EN-BAROEUL, FRANCE AND EAST BRUNSWICK, NJ (10 MAR 2022) – PhD candidate Grzegorz Wasilewski defended his thesis on February 22, 2022, at Maastricht University, Cardiovascular Research Institute Maastricht (CARIM), The Netherlands. His work was supported by funding from the Norwegian Research Council and a research grant awarded to NattoPharma ASA (now Gnosis by Lesaffre). 

 

The thesis, “Calcium Paradox – the role of vitamin K in the bone-vascular axis”1, highlighted the published work Wasilewski has done in conjunction with and under the leadership of Prof. Leon Schurgers, Professor of Biochemistry of Vascular Calcification and Vice-Chair of Biochemistry at CARIM, Maastricht University. This research includes an important review paper2, an in-vivo study exploring the combination of phosphate binder therapy with vitamin K2 to inhibit vascular calcification in kidney patients3, and an in-vitro study examining the impact of K2 as MK-7 supplementation in osteogenesis4 

 

“Scientists from Maastricht University have recently shown that combining vitamin K2 with phosphate binder treatment reduces vasculature and cartilage calcification. Additionally, they also discovered a novel role of vitamin K2 in beneficially affecting osteoblast maturation from induced pluripotent stem cells. Their findings might be clinically relevant for chronic kidney disease patients and for those seeking stem-cell therapies,” Wasilwski said in his defense. 

 

“With these discoveries, we are a step closer towards management of vascular calcification in chronic kidney disease patients. Using our novel experimental animal model of chronic kidney disease and vitamin K-deficiency demonstrates the beneficial role of combining phosphate binders with vitamin K2 in reducing vascular calcification compared to phosphate binders alone,” he added, noting that future clinical trials are needed to address whether vitamin K2 needs to be implemented in standard treatment therapy with phosphate binders. “Further, we have discovered a novel non-canonical role of vitamin K2 in aiding collagen synthesis in our iPSC model of osteoblast differentiation. Our results are fascinating as it changes the perspective on how MK-7 can impact skeletal disorders as well as paving the way for stem cell-based personalized therapy.” 

 

Since 2004, NattoPharma has worked closely with the Maastricht University in documenting benefits of the company’s exclusive vitamin K2 as MK-7 brand MenaQ7®. The research grant awarded to the NattoPharma International Research Network provided training in innovative therapeutic strategies that include MenaQ7, integrating early detection and prevention, to yield novel approaches to the management of chronic vascular and metabolic diseases that affect the increasing aging population of Western societies.  

 

Wasilewski was under the supervision of Prof. Leon Schurgers, a co-leader in the multidisciplinary research project together with Dr. Hogne Vik, Chief Medical officer at NattoPharma (now Gnosis by Lesaffre). This project is emblematic of NattoPharma’s continuation of the multi-year vitamin K2 research partnership with CARIM (as announced in 2020), to which Gnosis by Lesaffre has committed.  

 

“We are honored to have had the opportunity to support this distinguished researcher, and to see him come through this program making a substantial contribution to the argument that Vitamin K2 as MK-7 can indeed change the face of global health,” says Dr. Vik. “This work is so important as we continue to build an unshakeable science-based argument for Vitamin K2 as MK-7 is an essential nutrient worthy of its own Recommended Daily Intake (RDI), but also as a potential therapy for patient populations who express excessive calcification as a symptom of their condition.” 

 

# # # 

 

References: 

1 https://phd-defence.maastrichtuniversity.nl/phd-defence-grzegorz-b-wasilewski-tuesday-22nd-february-2022-1600-cet 

2 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30805347/ 

3 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34718756/ 

4 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33585456/ 

 

About Gnosis by Lesaffre 

Gnosis by Lesaffre harnesses the power of microorganisms and biotransformation processes like fermentation to cultivate nutritional actives, probiotics, and nutritional and functional yeasts that benefit human health and wellbeing. The team draws on its focused research and applications capabilities to collaborate with nutraceutical and pharmaceutical brands to develop game-changing products for their customers. 

 

For more information, please contact: 

 

Kate Quackenbush, Communications Director, k.quackenbush@gnosis.lesaffre.com, +1 609-454-2992 x220 

Norwegian Research Council Grant

New grant will fund substantiating MenaQ7 Vitamin K2 effect on calcium metabolism The Norwegian Research Council has awarded a grant to ex-NattoPharma to fund a 4-year project to document the effects of calcium metabolism in the body based on the presence or absence of Vitamin K2, MK7. The project will utilize ex-NattoPharma’s MenaQ7® Vitamin K2 … Continue reading Norwegian Research Council Grant

New grant will fund substantiating MenaQ7 Vitamin K2 effect on calcium metabolism

The Norwegian Research Council has awarded a grant to ex-NattoPharma to fund a 4-year project to document the effects of calcium metabolism in the body based on the presence or absence of Vitamin K2, MK7. The project will utilize ex-NattoPharma’s MenaQ7® Vitamin K2 as MK-7 and the research part will be conducted at the Maastricht University in the Netherlands in the Department of Biochemistry under the guidance of Dr. Leon Schurgers, Senior Scientist and Associate Professor of Biochemistry at Maastricht and CARIM, the Cardiovascular Research Institute of Maastricht.

In this research, Nattopharma together with the Maastricht University will study the utilisation of calcium in preclinical models for postmenopausal bone loss and chronic kidney failure to determine how supplemental calcium is metabolized in the presence or absence of supplemental vitamin K2, MK7.

“This study will help to provide further evidence that calcium without adequate Vitamin K2 consumption might end up in the soft tissues where it is not wanted, rather than in the bone matrix, where it is needed,” says Dr. Schurgers. In a recent study by “Bolland et al. it was shown that calcium supplementation of postmenopausal women was associated a beneficial effect on bone, but also with increased myocardial infarction, suggesting detrimental effects on the vascular system possibly by increased vascular calcification. As calcium supplementation is needed for bone, the precipitation in the vessel wall needs to be inhibited.”

Vitamin K2’s role as a cardiovascular supporter

Ex-NattoPharma is rightfully excited about this new study, which should add to the evidence confirming Vitamin K2’s role as a cardiovascular supporter, including the ground-breaking three-year interventional study[1] the company sponsored that confirmed adding 180mcg of MenaQ7® Vitamin K2 as MK-7 to one’s daily intake improves arterial health and flexibility.

“This will be the first study that demonstrates K2’s impact on calcium metabolism in vivo; however, we have shown in human studies with healthy participants that the progression of hardening of the arteries can be halted and even regressed,” adds Dr. Hogne Vik, ex-NattoPharma Chief Medical Officer. “Calcium supplement manufacturers must recognize the importance of pairing calcium with Vitamin K2. They cannot ignore the growing body of evidence that K2 is required for the body to properly metabolize and utilize calcium.”

Reference:
1 Knapen MH et al, Braam LAJL, Drummen NE, Bekers O, Hoeks APG, Vermeer C. Menaquinone-7 supplementation improves arterial stiffness in healthy postmenopausal women: double-blind randomised clinical trial. Thrombosis and Haemostasis. 2015 113 5: 1135-1144. doi: 10.1160/TH14-08-0675.

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MenaQ7 study with children

45 mcg per day of vitamin K2 was shown to support the needs of healthy bones in children

Growing Strong Bones

Childhood is the most essential period for developing and building healthy bone mass.
However, research shows children have 8 to 10 times higher levels of inactive osteocalcin, which means they are not optimally building the bone mass they require during this period.[3]

In turn, today we see an increase in low-energy fractures in children. Thankfully there is a way to mitigate this situation.

Studies show that children who have optimal levels of Vitamins K2 and D3 have fewer bone fractures than children with lower status of these two vitamins. [4,5]

MenaQ7® is the only Vitamin K2 on the market proven to benefit bone health in children.

[3] Theuwissen E et al. Food & Function. 2013;5(2):229-34
[4] Popko J et al. Nutrients. 2018 Jun 6;10(6):734.
[5] Karpiński M et al. J Am Coll Nutr. 2017 Jan;36(1):64-71

MenaQ7® study show

180 mcg per day of vitamin K2 maintain bone health in postmenopausal women

Well-Being in Times of Change

It is well recognized that women approaching and going through menopause are prone to develop weaker bones.

During this period, hormonal changes lower oestrogen levels, leading to bone loss and increased fracture risk.

Compromised bone health is estimated to affect 200 million women worldwide. Supporting bone health in women during this period of life is growing in importance, particularly as an ageing population seeks to maintain their quality of life.

The combination of Vitamins K2 and D3 is shown to have a more beneficial effect on this demographic’s bone strength than either vitamin taken alone.[5]

MenaQ7® is the only clinically proven K2 to deliver on the promise of maintaining bone health in postmenopausal women.[2]

[5] Ushiroyama T et al. Maturitas. 202 Mar 25;41(3):211-21.
[2] Knapen MHJ et al. Osteoporos Int. 2013 Sep;24(9):2499-507.

Supporting Mothers for Healthy Babies

Pregnancy is a time of extraordinary change and the WHO estimates 20-30% of pregnant women suffer from some kind of vitamin deficiency. Post-natal supplements are important for many women during this period of their lives to ensure not only their health, but their babies as well.

In particular, pregnant women are advised to increase their calcium levels to support the growing babies’ bone and teeth – and to maintain the mothers own bone mass, which is depleted during pregnancy and nursing.

Research shows that women's bone metabolic status significantly changes over the period between pregnancy and during nursing [6], and as much as 50% of newborns are K deficient. Incorporating Vitamins K2 with D3 in post-natal supplements would benefit both mother and child through their combined optimization of calcium.

[6] Miyamoto T et al. Sci Rep. 2019 May 13;9(1):6787.

MenaQ7® study show

180 mcg per day is beneficial for bone and cardiovascular health.

Do What You Love Longer!

Calcification is believed to be an inevitable and unfortunate result of aging, but studies show that arterial calcification is, in fact, an actively regulated process where Vitamins K2 and D3 play a critical role.

In 2020 the ageing population (people over the age of 65) grew to approximately 727 million. Supporting bone and heart health is vitalto ensure quality of life as we age.

A 2013 study [8] evaluating the cardiovascular effect of Vitamin K2 (MenaQ7®) plus Vitamin D or Vitamin D alone showed more beneficial results when the two nutrients were combined than when D was taken alone.

MenaQ7® is the only clinically Vitamin K2 as MK-7 proven to reduce arterial stiffness in adult populations.[9]

[8] Kurnatowska I et al. Pol Arch Med Wewn. 2015;125(9):631-40.
[9] Knapen MHJ et al. Thromb and Haemost. 2015 May;113(5):1135-44.

 

Active Lifestylers

The bone and joint market is still expected to be driven by aging populations, but trends like Healthy Aging and Fitter for Longer open the market for younger demographics. Since 2000, views have drastically evolved about the importance of staying active and the role bone/joint health plays in one’s ability to do so.

Bone fractures are an obvious hindrance to staying active. In fact, every 3rd woman and every 5th man over the age of 50 will experience osteoporotic fractures. It is also worth noting that young female athletes have higher fracture risks than male counterparts.

Knowing the intricate balance between Vitamins D3 and K2, and its combined benefits for bone and heart health, a product that aims to support active lifestylers should incorporate both.