You might have noticed that there’s a hype concerning Vitamin K2,
especially menaquinone-7 [1], which is already on the market. This is quite
strange as there are only a few studies and most have been done on small
numbers. There are possible health benefits and we’ll look at some studies. Menaquinone-7
is rare in foods and not produced in human cells, but E. coli in the colon will
possibly transform Vitamin K1 into menaquinone-7 [MK-7] and other menaquinones.
The only rich food in menaquinone-7 is nattō
(なっとう
or 納豆).
W.J. Wu and colleagues published the following study [2]: “The
antiosteoporotic effects of Cheonggukjang containing vitamin k2 (menaquinone-7)
in ovariectomized rats [female Sprague-Dawley rats].” Cheonggukjang (청국장; 淸麴醬) is the Korean pendant to the Japanese nattō, both use soy beans that
are inoculated with bacillus subtilis. “… MK-7 may be a promising approach for
the treatment and prevention of osteoporosis.”
R. Caluwé and colleagues [3] found, that MK-7 “supplementation may be a
novel approach to prevent vascular calcifications in chronic haemodialysis
patients”.
M.S. Abdel-Rahman and colleagues looked at 84 RA [rheumatoid arthritis]
patients [4]: “Menaquinone-7 as a novel pharmacological therapy in the
treatment of rheumatoid arthritis: A clinical study.” According to their study
the authors see in MK-7 “a new promising agent for RA in combination therapy
with other disease modifying antirheumatic drugs”.
I think that menaquinone-7 warrants further investigation. It might be
promising, but effect and unwanted effects should be known before supplementation.
Maybe we produce enough menaquinone-7 in our gut so that supplementation is
totally unnecessary. People taking warfarin and warfarin like drugs should be
aware that menaquinone-7 (as all vitamin Ks) interfere with their
anticoagulation.
Don’t follow the hype and supplement before it is known to be safe. In
the meantime you might continue to enjoy your nattō or cheonggukjang.
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