Vitamin K2 improves vascular function in postmenopausal women
Practitioners with postmenopausal patients who are at risk for cardiovascular disease may want consider adding vitamin K2 to their treatment considerations
Clinicians seeking natural treatment for heart disease may find a new ally in vitamin K2, as menaquinone-7, according to a Dutch study published in the journal Thrombosis & Haemostasis.
Working from observational data that suggest a link between the intake of vitamin K2 and cardiovascular health, researchers recruited 244 healthy postmenopausal women to investigate the long-term effects of vitamin K2 (180µg/d of a proprietary formula) supplementation on arterial stiffness.
Participants were randomised to receive either placebo (n=124) or vitamin K2 (menaquinone-7) (n=120) and followed for 3 years. Any cardiovascular effects were measured via pulse wave velocity and ultrasound. After 3 years of supplementation, the K2 group demonstrated significant (50%) improvement in arterial stiffness as compared with the placebo group.
Although more studies are necessary before these results may be generalised to other populations, practitioners with postmenopausal patients who are at risk for cardiovascular disease may want consider adding vitamin K2 to their treatment considerations.
