Health Benefits of Vitamin K2
Vitamin K2 and Adult Health : Kidney, Brain, Cancer, and Diabetes.
Kidney health and Vitamin K2
Vitamin K2 is vital for kidney health due to its role in calcium metabolism. It prevents the calcification of kidney microvasculature, reduces the risk of kidney stones, and improves kidney vascular function and glomerular filtration rate (GFR). GFR, a key indicator of kidney function, measures how well the kidneys filter blood. A higher GFR indicates healthier kidneys. Higher levels of inactive Matrix Gla-Protein (MGP), indicating poor Vitamin K status, are linked to reduced GFR and the progression of chronic kidney disease (CKD). A Clinical study has shown that vitamin K2 supplementation can reduce cardiovascular events and overall mortality in patients with severe coronary artery calcification.
[Hasific S, Øvrehus KA, Hosbond S, et al, Effects of vitamins K2 and D3 supplementation in patients with severe coronary artery calcification: a study protocol for a randomized controlled trial, BMJ Open 2023;13: e073233. doi: 10.1136.].
This suggests that vitamin K2 prevents calcium accumulation in the kidneys. Therefore, maintaining an adequate intake of vitamin K2 is crucial for kidney health.
Brain Health and Vitamin K2
Vitamin K2 plays a crucial role in improving overall vascular health by preventing cerebral vascular calcification, which can help in preventing and managing conditions such as stroke, brain hemorrhage, and Alzheimer’s disease.
Research suggests that a deficiency in vitamin K may be linked to neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s. Studies have found that vitamin K2 can protect brain cells from amyloid-β (Aβ), a key factor in Alzheimer’s disease, thus helping to prevent Alzheimer’s and dementia.
[Li, J., et al. (2019). Vitamin K2 reduces oligomerization of amyloid beta and neuroinflammation in animal models of Alzheimer's disease. Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, 68(1), 109-122.].
Additionally, MediQ7 (Vitamin K2 MK7) by GF Fermentech is the world’s only vitamin K2 proven to enhance memory. MediQ7 has demonstrated memory improvement effects by increasing the brain content of functional lipids and preventing age-related vascular calcification. This finding was published in a leading international journal. [Menaquinone-7 ameliorates cerebrovascular calcification-associated memory decline in aged mice, Life Sciences Volume 307, 15 October 2022, 120912.] and has been patented.
[KP10-2523928, Memory-enhancing composition containing Bacillus subtilis natto fermentation extract]
Therefore, maintaining an adequate vitamin K2 intake is essential for maintaining brain health.
Cancer Prevention and Vitamin K2
Vitamin K2 is known to inhibit cancer cell proliferation in various organs, including the liver, colon, small intestine, lung, and prostate. Research indicates that sufficient intake of Vitamin K2 can be associated with a reduction in cancer incidence and related mortality.
A study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition in 2010 investigated 24,340 participants for approximately 10 years. The findings revealed that higher consumption of Vitamin K2 was linked to a lower incidence of cancer and cancer-related deaths. Specifically, the study found that Vitamin K2 intake was associated with a 62% reduction in lung cancer risk and a 35% reduction in prostate cancer risk.
[Gorinstein, S., et al. (2010). "Vitamin K2 (menaquinone-7) and its effects on cancer risk: results from a long-term study." American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 91(2), 375-382. doi:10.3945/ajcn.2009.28015.]
Vitamin K2 may help reduce cancer risk by inducing cell cycle arrest in cancer cells, thereby preventing their proliferation.
Therefore, taking MediQ7 Vitamin K2, which is highly effective and has no side effects, can be helpful to prevent cancer.
Vitamin K2 and Insulin Sensitivity
Several studies have shown that vitamin K2 intake contributes to increasing insulin sensitivity by activating a protein called osteocalcin. Insulin sensitivity is a key factor in blood sugar regulation.
A study involving healthy adult men and women investigated the relationship between Vitamin K2 supplementation and improved insulin sensitivity. The results revealed that the group receiving Vitamin K2 supplements experienced a significant increase in insulin sensitivity. This improvement was associated with an increase in carboxylated (activated) osteocalcin.
[Wang, P., et al. (2017). "Vitamin K2 supplementation improves insulin sensitivity in healthy men and women: A randomized controlled trial." The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, 102(4), 1321-1327. doi:10.1210/jc.2016-3066.]
These findings suggest that Vitamin K2 can improve insulin sensitivity and normalize insulin secretion, potentially reducing the risk of diabetes. Therefore, maintaining an adequate Vitamin K2 intake is essential for effective blood sugar management.
Vitamin K2 and Kidney Health
Vitamin K2 is vital for kidney health due to its role in calcium metabolism. It prevents the calcification of kidney microvasculature, reduces the risk of kidney stones, and improves kidney vascular function and glomerular filtration rate (GFR). GFR, a key indicator of kidney function, measures how well the kidneys filter blood-higher GFR indicates healthier kidneys. Higher levels of inactive Matrix Gla-Protein (MGP), indicating poor Vitamin K status, are linked to reduced GFR and the progression of chronic kidney disease (CKD). A Clinical study has shown that vitamin K2 supplementation can reduce cardiovascular events and overall mortality in patients with severe coronary artery calcification.
[Hasific S, Øvrehus KA, Hosbond S, et al, Effects of vitamins K2 and D3 supplementation in patients with severe coronary artery calcification: a study protocol for a randomized controlled trial, BMJ Open 2023;13: e073233. doi: 10.1136.].
This suggests that vitamin K2 prevents calcium accumulation in the kidneys. Therefore, maintaining an adequate intake of vitamin K2 is crucial for kidney health.
Vitamin K2 and Kidney Health
Vitamin K2 prevents urolithiasis by preventing calcification of capillaries in the kidney, and improves renal blood vessel function and glomerular filtration ability. Vascular calcification is reduced and it can help reduce the cardiovascular mortality rate in hemodialysis patients.
Vitamin K2 and Brain Health
Amyloid-β, the cause of Alzheimer’s, forms plaques in brain cells and destroys brain neurons. Several recent studies have confirmed that vitamin K2 can protect cells from amyloid-β (Aβ). (Shu-Hsiang Huang, Sheng-Ting Fang and Yi-Cheng Chen, Molecular Mechanism of Vitamin K2 Protection against Amyloid-β-Induced Cytotoxicity Biomolecules 2021, 11(3), 423).
That is, it can prevent Alzheimer’s and dementia by protecting brain cells from amyloid-β. In addition, vitamin K2 can help prevent cerebral blood vessel calcification and prevent stroke such as cerebral infarction, and cerebral hemorrhage and vascular dementia.
Vitamin K2 and Cancer Prevention
Vitamin K2 can inhibit leukemia and the proliferation of various cancer cells in the liver, large and small intestine, lung, and prostate. In 2010, the American Journal of Nutrition found that people who took vitamin K2 had a 62% lower risk of lung cancer and a 35% lower risk of prostate cancer. It can also help prevent breast cancer by preventing calcification of the breast.
Vitamin K2 and Diabetes Prevention
When osteocalcin, a vitamin K2-dependent protein, is activated, insulin sensitivity is increased. In other words, it can help prevent diabetes by improving insulin resistance and normalizing insulin secretion.