K2 supplementation was found to be a boost for heart health.
A new study from a team of Dutch-based scientists has suggested that consumption of vitamin K2 can help reverse the age-related hardening of the artery walls and contribute to a significant improvement in vascular elasticity.
The research analysed the long-term effect of menaquinone – or vitamin K2 – supplementation on arterial stiffness in a group of nearly 250 healthy, postmenopausal women. In the double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, just over half of the subjects were given 180µg of K2 a day, while the remaining participants were asked to take a placebo drug. Both groups were monitored for the effects that the supplementation was having.
Now the findings, published in the journal Thrombosis and Haemostasis, have appeared to prove earlier theory that K2 intake was directly linked to positive changes in cardiovascular health. The vitamin helped to inhibit age-related hardening of the artery walls and significantly improved their vascular elasticity.
Lead researcher Dr Cees Vermeer said: “This is the first study showing that long-term use of vitamin K2 in the form of MK-7 beneficially affects cardiovascular health. Previous population-based studies have shown an association between vitamin K2 intake and cardiovascular risk, but this is the first intervention trial focused on vitamin K2 supplementation with cardiovascular endpoints.
“Our data demonstrated that a nutritional dose of vitamin K2 in fact improves cardiovascular outcomes.”
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