Vitamin K may reverse artery hardening, suggests study

By Stephen Daniells

11/12/2006- A high-dose vitamin K supplement reduced calcium precipitates associated with hardening of the arteries by 37 per cent in rats, scientists from The Netherlands have reported.

If the results can be reproduced in humans, high-dose vitamin K could have potential clinical implications for reducing arterial calcification, which is an important independent risk factor for the development of cardiovascular disease (CVD).
"High vitamin K intake not only prevents calcification, but even regresses arterial calcifications," lead researcher Leon Schurgers from Maastricht University told NutraIngredients.com.

There are two main forms of vitamin K: phylloquinone, also known as phytonadione, (vitamin K1) which is found in green leafy vegetables such as lettuce, broccoli and spinach, and makes up about 90 per cent of the vitamin K in a typical Western diet; and menaquinones (vitamins K2), which make up about 10 per cent of Western vitamin K consumption and can be synthesised in the gut by microflora.

Menaquinones (MK-n: with the n determined by the number of prenyl side chains) can also be found in the diet; MK-4 can be found in animal meat, MK-7, MK-8, and MK-9 are found in fermented food products like cheese, and natto is a rich source of MK-7.

read the full article (link)