Vitamin K2 May Boost Bone Health in Adolescents
Lee Swanson Research Update
A new study says that supplementing with vitamin K2 may improve bone health in prepubescent children and potentially protect them from osteoporosis later in life.
Writing in the British Journal of Nutrition, Dutch scientists report that a daily supplement of vitamin K2 in the menaquinone-7 (MK-7) form improved levels of osteocalcin, a vitamin K-dependent protein that is essential for the body to utilize calcium in bone tissue. Without adequate vitamin K, the osteocalcin remains inactive, and thus not effective.
"The present study is the first one to demonstrate that increased vitamin K intake by supplement improves the osteocalcin activity in children," said Professor Cees Vermeer. "There is a growing awareness that maximizing bone strength at childhood is an important strategy to prevent osteoporosis at later age," he added.
Osteoporosis is characterized by low bone mass, which leads to an increased risk of fractures, especially the hips, spine and wrists.
Potential reduction of osteoporosis has traditionally been a two-pronged approach by either attempting to boost bone density in high-risk post-menopausal women by improved diet or supplements, or by maximizing the build-up of bone during the highly important pubescent years. About 35% of a mature adult’s peak bone mass is built up during puberty.
Professor Vermeer and his co-workers recruited 55 healthy children to participate in a double-blind, randomized placebo-controlled trial. Children were randomly assigned to receive either daily MK-7 supplements (45 mcg MenaQ7) or placebo for eight weeks.
Using the ratio of undercarboxylated osteocalcin (ucOC) to carboxylated osteocalcin (cOC) as a measure of vitamin K status, the researchers found that, in the MK-7 group only, levels of ucOC decreased and the ratio of ucOC to cOC improved.
"The present study indicates that supplementation with MK-7, one of the vitamin K2 species, during eight weeks reduces the amount of circulating ucOC and thereby improves vitamin K status in British Journal of Nutritional children," wrote the researchers.
British Journal of Nutrition Published online ahead of print.