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MenaQ7 K2 – a proven guardian of bone and cardiovascular health
MenaQ7® vitamin K2 was created from a desire to substantially impact people’s health through all stages of life. Years of clinical research have established its safe and effective health benefits, ranging from bone health benefits in children and adults to cardiovascular health benefits in adults. In this article, Dr Hogne Vik, chief medical officer of NattoPharma, explores the clinical validation of this wonder vitamin.
Every hour in South Africa, five people suffer from a heart attack and ten people have strokes. Of those events, for ten people they will be fatal, according to The Heart and Stroke Foundation South Africa.1
Meanwhile, estimates from the National Osteoporosis Foundation of South Africa show that one in three South African women and one in five South African men could develop osteoporosis within their lifetime – which means potentially between 4m and 6m South Africans suffer from compromised bone health.2
But what if we could simultaneously promote bone health while protecting cardiovascular health simply by taking a vitamin?
Vitamin K2 as MK-7 (menaquinone-7) is a newly-recognised vitamin shown in clinical studies to support bone and cardiovascular health by activating proteins that help the body properly utilise calcium. Unfortunately, it is nearly impossible to obtain this vital nutrient from diet alone, leaving 97% of the Western population deficient,3 making supplementation a viable alternative.
WHAT IS VITAMIN K2?
It is a family of vitamins comprised of vitamin K1 (phylloquinone) and vitamin K2 (menaquinone). Phylloquinone and menaquinone share similarities, such as working in the liver for blood clotting. Chemically, they share a quinone ring called menadione. But that is where their similarities end.
Vitamin K2 has several molecules, called menaquinones, which are available beyond the liver for other systems such as bones and heart. There are actually multiple forms of K2, but the two most common forms as dietary supplements are K2 as MK-4 (menaquinone-4) and K2 as MK-7 (menaquinone-7). Vitamin K2 as MK-7 is superior since it requires a single daily microgram dose and works for 72 hours compared to K2 as MK-4, which requires multiple daily milligram intake and works for only 90 minutes.4, 5
THE K2 MECHANISM
Vitamin K2 activates vitamin K-dependent proteins (VKDP) already present in the body. Most of the research focuses on two VKDPs:
• matrix gla protein (MGP) inhibits calcium from depositing in arteries and soft tissues
• osteocalcin (OC) binds calcium to the bone mineral matrix for a stronger skeleton and dentin.
Yet, in order for these proteins to do their jobs, they must first be activated by vitamin K2. The more incoming calcium, with no or not enough vitamin K2, the more likely it will be deposited into arterial blood vessels, increasing cardiovascular risks. When the body has enough K2, it accelerates MGP’s activity of transporting incoming calcium out of arteries and boosting OC’s bone remodeling activity.6, 7
BETTER BONE HEALTH FOR ALL AGES
Vitamin K2’s importance in positively impacting bone health is not limited to adult populations. In fact, various studies have shown it is a noteworthy bone support nutrient for children due to their bones taking shape:
• In 2009, healthy children aged six to ten years who took 45mcg of K2 (as MenaQ7®) a day resulted in more active OC, leading to stronger, denser bones.11
• In 2012, children and adults (over the age of 40) expressed the greatest K deficiency and had the strongest response to K2 supplementation (45mcg for children; 90mcg for adults – both as MenaQ7®).12
• In 2013, children and teens given daily doses of MenaQ7® K2 (50mcg) and vitamin D (5mcg calcitriol) showed improvements in bone mineral density.13
FOOD SOURCES
The body cannot synthesise K vitamins (just small levels in the intestine), so people are mainly dependent on regular food intake.
Vitamin K1 is found in leafy green vegetables, such as spinach and kale. However, K1 from food is very poorly absorbed – only about 10% of it reaches the circulation, meaning a small amount can reach peripheral parts of the body. Moreover, the liver takes what it needs of K1 with little left for other tissues. Add to this a common misconception that if one eats plenty of green leafy vegetables, they are getting plenty of vitamin K2.
Natural vitamin K2 is produced during bacterial fermentation and is present in foods such as cheese (the most popular Western source). These products contain relatively small levels, which would require consuming large amounts.
The best source of natural vitamin K2 as MK-7 is the traditional Japanese dish natto. Several studies link natto consumption in Japan to significant improvement in K vitamin’s status and bone health.8, 9 But the dish is rarely consumed outside of Japan, and there are clear indications that Western populations have insufficient intake of vitamin K2 from their regular diets – so supplementation is a viable alternative.
PROVEN BONE BENEFITS
Vitamin K2 supports bone health due to its activation of OC. This has been established in a raft of studies, highlighted by a breakthrough doubleblind, randomised clinical trial published in Osteoporosis International using a specific K2 as MK-7 called MenaQ7® .
The study demonstrated for the first time clinically statistically significant protection of the vertebrae and the hip (femoral neck) against bone loss. This was attained with a nutritional dose (180mcg) of K2 as MK-7 taken daily for three years.
In this study of 244 healthy post-menopausal women, the K2 group showed significantly decreased circulating uncarboxylated OC (ucOC). After three years, both bone mineral content and bone mineral density as well as bone strength were statistically significantly better for the MK-7 group than the placebo group.10
NEWLY-ESTABLISHED CARDIO-PROTECTIVE NUTRIENT
The most substantial body of growing evidence shows vitamin K2’s positive impact and support for cardiovascular health.
Previous population-based studies have shown an association between K2 intake and cardiovascular risk.14,15 Still, validation for its cardiovascular benefits culminated with the publication of another three-year study using MenaQ7®, the first intervention trial focused on K2 as MK-7 supplementation with cardiovascular endpoints.
Using the same cohort as the three-year bone study, researchers monitored subjects using pulse wave velocity (PWV) and ultrasound techniques. The participants were randomly assigned to take 180mcg of K2 daily for three years or placebo capsules. Results confirmed that K2 as MK-7 inhibited age‐related stiffening of the artery walls and made an unprecedented statistically significant vascular elasticity improvement.16
These results were corroborated recently in a separate oneyear placebo-controlled randomised clinical trial that showed that 180mcg/day of K2 (MenaQ7®) improved vascular health in male and female participants with poor K status, as measured by dp-ucMGP (inactive MGP). Regardless of the gender of the participants, the K2 group maintained arterial flexibility and the stiffness did not increase, whereas the placebo group became stiffer and less flexible.17
Vitamin K2 as MK-7 is the only compound to date that has shown to impact arterial calcification through its activation of MGP. Thus, the medical community is beginning to explore it as a potential therapy for patients whose conditions present symptoms of intense calcification.
CONCLUSION
Vitamin K2 as MK-7 is a superior vitamin K, safely and effectively delivering benefits for children and adults, serving as an essential companion for calcium supplementation. By implementing this simple nutritional strategy, the population can simultaneously support their bone health while protecting themselves from cardiovascular risks. The only vitamin K2 as MK-7 proven to deliver bone and heart support is MenaQ7®. •
REFERENCES:
1. https://www.heartfoundation.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/CVD-Stats-
Reference-Document-2016-FOR-MEDIA-1.pdf 2. https://osteoporosis.org.za 3. Shea MK, et al. Circulating uncarboxylated matrix gla protein is associated with vitamin K nutritional status, but not coronary artery calcium, in older adults. J Nutr. 2011 Aug;141(8):1529-34. 4. Rheaume-Bleue, Kate. 2013. Vitamin K2 and the Calcium Paradox: How a Little-
Known Vitamin Could Save Your Life. Harper; Reprint edition. 5. Howard, Larry M, Payne, Anthony G. 2006. Health Benefits of Vitamin K2: A
Revolutionary Natural Treatment for Heart Disease and Bone Loss. 1st edition.
Basic Health Publications, Inc. 6. Schurgers LJ, Cranenburg EC, Vermeer C. 2008. Matrix gla-protein: the calcification inhibitor in need of vitamin K. Thrombosis and Haemostasis, 100(4): 593-603. 7. Tsugawa N, et al. 2006. Vitamin K status of healthy Japanese women: age-related vitamin K requirement for gamma-carboxylation of osteocalcin. Am J Clin Nutr, 83(2): 380-86. 8. Kaneki M, et al. Japanese Fermented Soybean Food as the Major Determinant of the Large Geographic Difference in Circulating Levels of Vitamin K2: Possible
Implications for Hip-Fracture Risk. Nutrition. 17 (4), 315–321 (2001). 9. Ikeda Y, et al. Intake of Fermented Soybeans, Natto, Is Associated with Reduced
Bone Loss in Postmenopausal Women: Japanese Population-Based Osteoporosis (JPOS) Study. J. Nutr. 136 (5), 1323–1328 (2006). 10.Knapen MHJ, et al. Three-Year Low-Dose Menaquinone-7 Supplementation Helps
Decrease Bone Loss in Healthy Postmenopausal Women. Osteoporosis Int. 24 (9), 2499–2507 (2013). 11. Van Summeren, et al. The effect of menaquinone-7 (vitamin K2) supplementation on osteocalcin carboxylation in healthy prepubertal children. Br J Nutr (2009) 102(8): 1171-8. 12.Theuwissen E, et al. Vitamin K Status in Healthy Volunteers. Food Funct.5 (2), 229–234 (2014). 13.Ozdemir MA, et al. The Efficacy of Vitamin K2 and Calcitriol Combination on
Thalassemic Osteopathy. J. Pediatr. Hematol. Oncol. 35 (8), 623–627 (2013). 14.Geleijnse JM, et al. Dietary intake of menaquinone is associated with a reduced risk of coronary heart disease: the Rotterdam Study. J Nutr. 2004, 134(11):3100-5. 15.Gast GC, et al. A high menaquinone intake reduces the incidence of coronary heart disease. Nutr Metab Cardiovasc Dis. 2009, 19:504-10. 16.Knapen MHJ, et al. 2015. Menaquinone-7 Supplementation Improves Arterial
Stiffness in Healthy Postmenopausal Women: Double-Blind Randomised Clinical
Trial. Thrombosis and Haemostasis, 113(5): 1135-1144. 17. Vermeer C and Vik H. Effect of Menaquinone-7 (vitamin K2) on vascular elasticity in healthy subjects: results from a one-year study. 2020 Vascul Dis Ther, 5: doi: 10.15761/VDT.1000179.
MenaQ7® is a registered trademark of NattoPharma
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
A physician by education, Dr Hogne Vik has a long and successful track record in both the pharmaceutical and dietary supplement industries. He currently serves as the chief medical officer of NattoPharma, a world leader in vitamin K2 research and development and an exclusive supplier of MenaQ7®, the first and best clinically validated vitamin K2 as MK-7 available.
Brenntag SA – www.brenntag.com/en-za NattoPharma – nattopharma.com
