Oslo, Norway—Researchers from Maastricht University, The Netherlands, have published data in Cardiovascular Biology and Cell Signalling suggesting that vitamin K2 supports cardiovascular health.

The study involved 244 healthy healthy postmenopausal women. Of these,120 women were given MK-7 (180 mg, as MenaQ7 from Nattopharma, based here) for three years, while 124 other women took a placebo. Researchers gauged local carotid and regional aortic stiffness using non-invasive detection methods like echo-tracking and pulse wave velocity (mechanotransducers on the skin). Bloodwork was also taken.

After three years, MK-7 arterial stiffness declined in the supplement group and vascular elasticity improved. In those that began the study with high arterial stiffness at the start of the study, the supplement’s benefits were even more pronounced.

Published in WholeFoods Magazine, April 2015