New post-hoc analysis of a 1-year cardiovascular study is published, examining an underrepresented population and demonstrating a promotion of healthy blood pressure through a reduction in vascular stiffness.
Gnosis by Lesaffre, the global leader in vitamin K2 research and development, has announced that Nutrients, an esteemed peer-reviewed journal, has published a post-hoc analysis of its one-year MenaQ7â Vitamin K2 as MK-7 (menaquinone-7) cardiovascular study. The analysis, entitled “Effects of one-year menaquinone-7 supplementation on vascular stiffness and blood pressure in post-menopausal women” [1], delivers new insights as the researchers re-examine findings of the initial one-year study published in 2020 [2], this time focusing exclusively on female participants.
Femke de Vries, PhD student at Cardiovascular Research Institute Maastricht (CARIM), Institute for Oncology and Reproduction (GROW), and Mental Health and Neuroscience (MHeNs) Research Institute, led the new analysis focusing solely on pre-, peri-, and post-menopausal women exhibiting a low extrahepatic vitamin K status and how K2 supplementation affected vascular parameters. According to de Vries, “Estrogen begins to decline in women in their late 30s, and as this continues, there is a concomitant rise in cardiovascular risk that is typically underrepresented in clinical settings.”
The original one-year study included participants with low extrahepatic vitamin K status, a marker of higher cardiovascular risk. Insufficient vitamin K intake leads to inactive MGP (dp-ucMGP), promoting vascular calcification and stiffness.
Exciting New Findings in Menopausal Women
The new post-hoc analysis of the one-year study included 165 women divided into two groups—78 pre/peri-menopausal and 87 post-menopausal—with dp-ucMGP levels greater than 400 pmol/L at baseline, a marker of low vitamin K2 status. De Vries and her team sought to substantiate and further investigate the long-term impacts of MK-7 supplementation on vascular stiffness and overall cardiovascular sufficiency. The researchers found that, after one year, MK-7 supplementation improved vascular flexibility by significantly attenuating vascular stiffness in post-menopausal women.
Because there were large baseline differences in vascular stiffness between participants, both groups were further divided according to a low or high stiffness index. The post-hoc analysis revealed that post-menopausal women with a high stiffness index at baseline showed significant improvements in multiple vascular markers after MK-7 supplementation, along with lower blood pressure in the brachial and carotid arteries.
The opposite was true in the placebo group. Pre/peri-menopausal women with a high stiffness index in the placebo group exhibited significantly increased brachialis and carotid artery blood pressure. The differential is stark, substantiating the impact of MK-7 supplementation on cardiovascular function.
Katarzyna Maresz, PhD, Member and Coordinator of the Gnosis Vitamin K2 Scientific Advisory Committee and one of the authors of the new post-hoc analysis, commented, “The main findings underscore that menopause negatively affects vascular health, yet vitamin K2 as MK-7 supplementation can mitigate these effects. Additionally, this analysis strongly suggests that supplementation with MenaQ7â Vitamin K2 as MK-7 has potential as a targeted intervention to improve cardiovascular health in post-menopausal women.”
Building MK-7 Evidence
Low vitamin K status is recognized as a cardiovascular risk factor, and multiple clinical trials with MenaQ7® have proven to improve vitamin K status by activating Matrix Gla Protein (MGP), a key inhibitor of vascular calcification. [3,4]
A long-term clinical trial published in 2015 demonstrated the potential benefits of MK-7 supplementation for vascular health, showing statistically significant results after three years in post-menopausal women (n=244). It showed that consuming just 180 mcg daily of MK-7 as MenaQ7® led to a reversal of arterial stiffness as shown by pulse-wave velocity [5].
A subsequent one-year study published in 2020 investigated the effects of MK-7 supplementation on women and men with a low extrahepatic vitamin K status and a consequential higher cardiovascular risk. This follow-up confirmed the impact of MK-7 supplementation on vascular stiffness and overall cardiovascular health in high-risk populations [2]. The new post-hoc analysis went further by showing particular efficacy of MK-7 in post-menopausal women with high arterial stiffness [1].
“We are energized by these new findings and implications for cardiovascular health products, particularly those serving women working through menopause, but also for the consideration of those approaching menopause (i.e., women of middle age),” added Marie Tutein Brenoe, Gnosis Head of Marketing. “These results shine a light on the necessity of personalized interventions, as not all the women benefited the same. Those with elevated arterial stiffness experienced the greatest improvements, including lower blood pressure.
“Gnosis will continue to drive clinical validation that creates the most effective and trustworthy products on the market,” she concluded.
References
1 de Vries F, Bittner R, Maresz K, Machuron F, Gaserod O, Jeanne J-F, Schurgers LJ. Effects on One-Year Menaquinione-7 Supplementation on Vascular Stiffness and Blood Pressure in Post-Menopausal Women. Nutrients 2025, 17(5), 815.
2 Vermeer C and Vik H. Effect of Menaquinone-7 (vitamin K2) on vascular elasticity in healthy subjects: Results from a one-year study. Vasc. Dis. Ther. 2020, 5, 1-4.
3 Theuwissen et al Low-dose menaquinone-7 supplementation improved extra-hepatic vitamin K status, but had no effect on thrombin generation in healthy subjects Br J Nutr . 2012
4 Theuwissen et al Vitamin K status in healthy volunteers. Food Funct . 2014
5 Knapen et al. “Menaquinone-7 supplementation improves arterial stiffness in healthy postmenopausal women: double-blind randomised clinical trial.” Throm Haemost. 2015 May;113(5):1135-44.
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