is the optimal boneMenaQ7
MenaQ7 is the only natural vitamin K2 extracted from Natto. MenaQ7 contains K2 as menaquinone-7, the long chained K2 vitamin molecule offering superior bioavailability and health effects in low doses. Discoveries of these beneficial health effects are closely connected to Japan and the Netherlands; to the internationally known research group at the University of Maastricht lead by professor Cees Vermeer.
Osteoporosis
According to the World Health Organization (WHO) osteoporosis is second only to cardiovascular diseases in terms of global health care problems. Osteoporosis is currently affecting some 200 milion people globally. With the growing number of elderly people, and obesity adding extra strain on bones, the number of people suffering is set to increase steadily.
According to the UK Department of Health, health and social care costs for British osteoporosis patients amount to around L1.7 billion per year. There is no medicine available to cure osteoporisis today. The best positioned nutrional remedy is the combination calcium and vitamin D. New documented clinical studies conclude that you need to combine calcium/vitamin D with vitamin K2 to reduce or stop osteoporosis. In fact, many studies show that in many cases, the bone structure starts to rebuild itself whe taking vitamin K2.
Calcium has been the focus of attention for decades for improvement of bone health, and is needed to build the hydroxyapatite matrix in our bones. However, several human studies have shown that this is not enough to prevent osteopenia, osteoporosis or fractures.
Supplementing with vitamin D is positive due to the effect on the synthesis of osteocalcin - but is still not optimal. However, various types of population based studies, intervention studies, development of immunological assays to measure vitamin K dependent proteins and other non-human studies are in favour of MenaQ7TM products which contain natural menaquinone-7.
It is well documented that adding MenaQ7TM will increase activation of osteocalcin so the conditions for improved bone health are met. Likewise accumulating evidences show the importance of MenaQ7TM activated matrix-gla protein in inhibiting calcium deposits in arteries thus contributing to better cardiovascular health.
Micrograms – not milligrams
Several review articles summarize clinical studies using menatetrenone (MK-4). The standardized dose used obtaining comparable clinical effects to those reported for Natto food is 45 mg/day of Mk-4.
Studies using either Natto food or MenaQ7 recommend a daily dose of only 45 mcg. Attention should thus be drawn to the fact that MenaQ7 offers same effects with 1/1000 of the comparable dose for the synthetic form of MK-4 (menatetrenone).
As explained above, this may well reflect both longer half-life (slower clearance by the liver) and better availability in relevant tissues (more efficient binding to lipoproteins over longer times), in addition to potentially unknown mechanisms.