Vitamin K2 as MK-7 shown to improve endothelial function

摘要

Adding to the already-strong body of clinical evidence confirming Vitamin K2 as MK-7 inhibits arterial calcification and acts as an antioxidant, a study recently published in Vascular Pharmacology shows K2 as MK-7 boosts nitric oxide (NO), improving NO-dependent endothelial function. The study used MenaQ7® Vitamin K2 as MK-7, supplied by NattoPharma. Endothelial dysfunction has been associated with many health issues, including being a well-established response to cardiovascular risk factors and precedes the development of atherosclerosis, a disease of the arteries characterized by the development deposition of plaques of and by vascular inflammation fatty material on the inner walls. Given the fact that endothelial function determines cardiovascular health, researchers hypothesized that the positive effects of vitamin K2 intake on cardiovascular mortality could be linked to the vitamin K-dependent regulation of endothelial function. According to researchers, "The aim was to examine the effects of vitamin K2 - MK-7 on endothelial dysfunction, in ApoE/LDLR~(-/-)mice at the early and late stages of disease development, in the absence and in the presence of atherosclerotic plaques, respectively."