MenaQ7 vitamin K2 to be studied in clinical trial in migraine sufferers

Photo © AdobeStock.com/Axel Kock

Lebanese researchers are initiating a clinical study in migraine sufferers that will examine any potential benefits of vitamin K2 supplementation.¹ The ingredient being studied in the trial is the MenaQ7 vitamin K2 (as MK-7) ingredient from Gnosis by Lesaffre (Marcq-en-Baroeul, France). The study is being conducted by Omicron Pharmaceuticals (Beirut, Lebanon) with support from Gnosis by Lesaffre.

The six-month, randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled study will use a 360-mcg daily dose of MenaQ7. The researchers will be recruiting migraine patients aged 18-45 years from the neurology clinic at the Lebanese American University Medical Center–Rizk Hospital in Lebanon.

Lebanese researchers have already been studying the potential positive impact of vitamin K2 supplements on arterial stiffness in a previous cross-sectional study in people experiencing migraines.² In that cross-sectional study, the researchers hypothesized that patients with migraine may have higher levels of arterial stiffness and lower levels of vitamin K2.

The purpose of the new six-month study, according to a Gnosis by Lesaffre press release, is to test “if vitamin K2 supplementation might ‘prevent’ migraine attacks, as well as testing the impact of vitamin K2 supplementation on arterial stiffness in this group of patients.” In the new study, researchers will measure patients’ arterial stiffness at baseline, three months, and at the end of the study. Subjects will also be given clinical and standardized questionnaires to assess their frequency of migraines during the study.

In the Gnosis by Lesaffre press release, the study’s lead researcher, Sola Aoun Bahous, MD, PhD, MHPE, dean and professor of medicine at Gilbert & Rose-Marie Chagoury School of Medicine at Lebanese American University, stated, “Several mechanisms have been suggested to explain the condition and its linkage to other comorbidities, including generalized anxiety disorders, restless leg syndrome, chronic pain syndromes, and more serious cardiovascular diseases, but studies have failed to explain with certainty the increased cardiovascular risk and reasons behind augmented large arterial stiffness in patients with migraine…”

Sophie Legrain-Raspaud, director of R&D at Gnosis by Lesaffre, added, “Our research has identified and demonstrated the cardioprotective mechanism of vitamin K2, and new research is beginning to surface linking this mechanism to having an impact beyond just heart health, including brain and vision support. We share the researchers’ enthusiasm that this new study could present strong grounds for discussing this potential relationship with migraine patients to guide their dietary habits or supplementation routines toward improving their vitamin K2 status.”

Reference

1. Vitamin K2 Supplementation in Adult Episodic Migraine (ViKEM). ClinicalTrials.gov. Updated July 13, 2023. https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT05943457
2. Mansour, A.G.; Ahdab, R.; Daaboul, Y.; et al. Vitamin K2 status and arterial stiffness among untreated migraine patients: a case-control study. Headache. 2020, 60 (3), 589-599. DOI: 10.1111/head.13715