is the optimal boneVitamin K2 supplementation in early menopausal women
2 December 2009
Three hundred thirty-four healthy women between 50 and 60 years were assigned into two groups, one receiving 360µg MK-7 capsules and the other receiving placebo capsules for a period of one year. After 12 months, there was no statistical difference in bone loss rates between the groups at the total hip or any other measurement site. However, serum level of carboxylated Osteocalcin (cOC) increased and undercarboxylated Osteocalcin (ucOC) decreased in the treatment versus the placebo group.
NattoPharma has got an expertise comment to these results from Dr. Cees Vermeer at VitaK BV, Maastricht University, the well respected and experienced vitamin K research center:" In a recent review, Iwamoto et al. defined the minimal criteria for studies on vitamin K and bone health (Iwamoto, J. et.al., 2009. High-dose vitamin K supplementation reduces fracture incidence in postmenopausal women: a review of the literature. Nutr. Res. 29: 221-8). These criteria are: at least 50 subjects per study arm and a minimal study duration of 2 years (preferably longer). Many studies have been published that do not meet these criteria and one of them is the recently published trial by Emaus et al. (Osteoporos. Int. 2009, epub ahead of print). Studies in which changes in biomarkers are used as an endpoint may be 3-6 months, while those in which clinical endpoints like Bone Mineral Density (BMD) are used should be longer than 2 years. I would expect that prolongation of the supplementation regimen for another 2 years would have demonstrated a beneficial effect of Vitamin K2."
Dr. Leon Schurgers, VP R&D in NattoPharma, explains that this is why NattoPharma has chosen a 3-year randomized clinical trial to demonstrate the efficacy of MenaQ7, NattoPharma's vitamin K2. Dr. Schurgers further elaborates: "Unfortunately, all vitamin K intervention studies shorter than 2 years have contributed to the confusion about efficacy of vitamin K supplements for improving bone mineral density or bone strength. The study by Emaus et al. is no exception in this respect".