Friday June 26, 2015 (foodconsumer.org) -- A double-blind randomized clinical trial conducted by scientists at Maastricht University in The Netherlands suggests that taking Menaquinone-7 (vitamin K2) supplements can help improve cardiovascular health in women.

The link between menaquinone (MK, vitamin K2) intake and cardiovascular (CV) health was found in observational studies. The current trial confirmed that link and found long term supplementation with vitamin K2 or menauinone helped prevent arterial stiffness.

For the trial, 244 healthy postmenopausal women who did not have cardiovascular disease received either 180 ug menaQ7 per day or placebo for three years.  Both indices of local carotid stiffness and regional aortic stiffness were measured.  Some biochemicals were also measured to see vitamin K2 supplements may affect these parameters.
 
The trial showed that long term supplementation with vitamin K2 improved arterial stiffness in healthy postmenopausal women, particularly in those having a high arterial stiffness.

Arterial stiffness results from biological aging and arteriosclerosis.  Increased arterial stiffness is correlated with an elevated risk for cardiovascular events such as myocardial infarction (heart attack) and stroke, two major killers in the world. (David Liu)

M. H. J. Knapen , L. A. J. L. M. Braam , N. E. Drummen , O. Bekers , A. P. G. Hoeks , C. Vermeer , Menaquinone-7 supplementation improves arterial stiffness in healthy postmenopausal women, Thrombosis and Haemostasis, 2015: 113/5 (May) pp. 911–1157, 1135-1144