Coronary artery calcification (CAC) is the build-up of calcium in the heart’s arteries which significantly increases the risk of heart disease and heart attacks. Currently, there are no treatments to reserve or dissolve CAC.
Interventions therefore largely rely on methods which can slow the progression of the disease and lower cardiovascular risk factors, with new research suggesting K2-7 may be able to play an adjunctive role.
Indeed, the study found that Gnosis by Lesaffre’s MenaQ7 lowered progression of CAC by 29% compared to placebo, representing a “significant moment” for the supplement industry, according to Kimmo Makinen, Gnosis by Lesaffre’s global head of scientific affairs.
“No other study with vitamin K2 has ever demonstrated efficacy to manage coronary calcification in men and women,” he told NutraIngredients. “This is the first RCT to demonstrate that MK-7 monotherapy significantly attenuates CAC progression in symptomatic CAD patients of both sexes over two years. Prior meta-analyses of vitamin K supplementation on vascular calcification had shown inconsistent results.”
Risks associated with CAC
CAC hardens plaque in the heart’s arteries, making them stiffer and less able to expand and contract. The condition acts as a major indicator of atherosclerosis, a chronic, progressive condition where the arteries become narrowed, restricting blood flow to organs and tissues.
Other than lifestyle measures, medications such as statins and calcium channel blockers are used to manage the condition. Statin therapy works by hardening the calcium plaques, making them less likely to rupture, however, it is not recommended for those with certain medical conditions, such as acute liver disease.
Since MK-7 supplementation has been shown to support arterial elasticity and activate a protective protein that keeps calcium out the arteries, the researchers from the University of Maastricht, the Netherlands, hypothesized that MK-7 may slow the progression of CAC.
“The proposed mechanism, supported by the study data and the broader literature, centers on vitamin K-dependent carboxylation of matrix Gla protein (MGP),” Makinen said. “MGP is synthesized by vascular smooth muscle cells and is a potent inhibitor of vascular calcification. This only happens in its carboxylated form, which requires vitamin K as a cofactor.”
A “modest” effect
To conduct their research, the researchers randomized 180 adults to receive either 360 mg of MK-7 daily or a placebo over a two-year period. All participants had a CAC score between 50 and 400, ranging from mild to extensive plaque build-up.
Of the 180 participants, 78% of participants were on statin therapy, and 67-74% were smokers. This is noted as an important consideration, given statin therapy can raise CAC scores, and active and past smokers are at risk of increased CAC progression.
In the placebo group, CAC scores increased, on average, from 145 at baseline to 214 after the two-year period. In the treatment group, scores increased from 135 to 184, demonstrating that the evolution of the CAC score over time was “significantly less” in the active treatment group. The MK-7 group also showed a lower progression in calcium mass versus placebo.
“The VitaK-CAC trial demonstrated a statistically significant reduction in CAC progression in a high-risk, symptomatic population with a high prevalence of smoking and other cardiovascular risk factors, using MK-7 as a standalone intervention without any concurrent lifestyle modification,” Makinen said. “This is noteworthy given the challenging patient profile.”
However, the researchers highlight that the overall effect is modest, and the percentage of fast progressors did not differ significantly between the groups.
Further research will therefore be needed to demonstrate whether taking MK-7 translates into clinical benefits, something which Gnosis by Lesaffre is currently investigating with a new trial evaluating non-fatal cardiovascular events.
“The overall effect is modest, and given that the percentage of fast progressors did not differ between the two treatment groups, the clinical significance of our findings remains to be demonstrated,” the researchers wrote. “It is uncertain, for instance, whether the relatively small reduction in the evolution of the CAC score translates into a reduction of cardiovascular event.
“Only the results of a well-designed outcome trial can provide an answer to the question as to whether the effect of MK-7 is beneficial.”
Source: JAMA Cardiology. doi: 10.1001/jamacardio.2026.1279. “Two Years of Menaquinone-7 Supplementation and Coronary Artery Calcification: A Randomized Clinical Trial.” Authors: L.M. Vossen, et al.
