Three-year low-dose menaquinone-7 supplementation helps decrease bone loss in healthy postmenopausal women

Summary We have investigated whether low-dose vitamin K2 supplements (menaquinone-7, MK-7) could beneficially affect bone health. Next, to an improved vitamin K status, MK-7 supplementation significantly decreased the age- related decline in bone mineral density and bone strength. Low-dose MK-7 supplements may therefore help postmen- opausal women prevent bone loss.

Introduction Despite contradictory data on vitamin K supple- mentation and bone health, the European Food Safety Author- ities (EFSA) accepted the health claim on vitamin K’s role in maintenance of normal bone. In line with EFSA’s opinion, we showed that 3-year high-dose vitamin K1 (phylloquinone) and K2 (short-chain menaquinone-4) supplementation improved bone health after menopause. Because of the longer half-life and greater potency of the long-chain MK-7, we have extended these investigations by measuring the effect of low-dose MK-7 supplementation on bone health.

Methods Healthy postmenopausal women (n = 244) received for 3 years placebo or MK-7 (180 μg MK-7/day) capsules. Bone mineral density of lumbar spine, total hip, and femoral neck was measured by DXA; bone strength indices of the femoral neck were calculated. Vertebral fracture assessment was performed by DXA and used as measure for vertebral fractures. Circulating uncarboxylated osteocalcin (ucOC) and carboxylated OC (cOC) were measured; the ucOC/cOC ratio served as marker of vitamin K status. Measurements occurred at baseline and after 1, 2, and 3 years of treatment.