Targeting those on haemodialysis (assisted removal of bodily waste products), the researchers found vitamin K2 could invigorate a dormant bodily compound called undercarboxylated MGP – thus reducing calcification probability.

NattoPharma supplied the menaquinone version of vitamin K2 (MK-7) for the study that had no control and 165 completers.

“Pharmacological doses of MK-7 dose-dependently reduce [​undercarboxylated MGP],” ​said the researchers led by An S. De Vriese of the Division of Nephrology and Infectious Diseases, at St Jan Hospital in Austria.

“Menaquinone supplementation may be a novel approach to prevent vascular calci​fi​cations in chronic haemodialysis patients.”​

The patients received either 360, 720 or 1080μg of MK-7 three times weekly for 8 weeks.

Source:

Nephrology Dialysis Transplantation​

doi: 10.1093/ndt/gft464

‘​Vitamin K2 supplementation in haemodialysis patients: a randomized dose-finding study’​

Authors: Rogier Caluwé​, Stefaan Vandecasteele​, Bruno Van Vlem​, Cees Vermeer​, An S. De Vriese​