Study results demonstrating vascular benefits of MK-7 in menopausal women presented at the European Society of Cardiology Congress

Photo © iStockphoto.com/Jacob Wackerhausen

Gnosis by Lesaffre has announced the results of a recent study that found menaquinone-7 (MK-7), marketed as MenaQ7 by Gnosis, may attenuate arterial stiffness in post-menopausal women. An abstract discussing these results was presented on August 27 at the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) Congress, by its lead author and PhD student, Femke de Vries. According to the study, sex hormones such as oestrogen and progesterone can protect the cardiovascular health of women, and therefore after menopause, women are prone to hypertension and vascular stiffness with an elevated risk for vascular aging and cardiovascular disease.

In the double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial, 116 women between the ages of 40 and 70 were given either 180 µg of MK-7 or placebo daily for one year. The researchers took blood samples at baseline and at the end of the study to determine dp-ucMGP levels. Vascular health was determined by measuring regional carotid-femoral (cf-PWV) and carotid-radial (cr-PWV) pulse wave velocities, vessel wall characteristics such as intima-media thickness, arterial diameter and local carotid artery PWV (caPWV), as well as arterial blood pressure. Pre/peri-menopausal and post-menopausal women were subdivided based on arterial stiffness. Researchers observed that at baseline, vascular parameters such as intima media thickness, carotid artery diameters, and caPWV were significantly higher among post-menopausal women compared to pre/peri-menopausal women.

In post-hoc analyses, results showed that both pre/peri-menopausal and post-menopausal subjects taking MK-7 saw a significant decrease in dp-ucMGP plasma levels. In post-menopausal women, supplementation with MK-7 significantly attenuated vascular stiffness in post-menopausal women, and those with a high stiffness index saw significant improvements in vascular markers such as decreased blood pressure at brachialis, decreased blood pressure at carotid artery, increased distensibility coefficient and increased compliance coefficient. The study concluded that hormonal changes do in fact negatively impact the vasculature of post-menopausal women, and that MK-7 may attenuate these changes. However, more research is necessary to determine the mechanism by which MK-7 exerts these benefits.

“This abstract strengthens the proof that K2 as MenaQ7 supports healthy cardiovascular function in aging women and can serve as an inexpensive tool for protecting heart health,” said Professor Leon Schurgers, lead researcher on the post-hoc analysis and chair of the Gnosis Vitamin K2 Scientific Advisory Committee, in a press release.

“Gnosis is thrilled that this review of our one-year study has uncovered an important revelation,” added Sophie Legrain-Raspaud, Gnosis Research & Application director. “We have espoused the importance of Vitamin K2 for cardiovascular health with our substantial body of evidence, but to have these findings presented at such an esteemed event as the European Society of Cardiology only punctuates the importance of this vital nutrient for the betterment of human health.”