Supplements & functional ingredients
it is a surprise that K2 has not received more public attention, particularly as consumers become more focused on wellbeing and when the supplements industry is booming. There are, however, signs of change.
“These days I notice that consumers are more interested in new scientific findings than medical doctors, who on their side must wait on recommendation from the authorities, which of course takes time,” explains Maresz. “Based on the growing number of clinical trials on vitamin K2, it is clear that the understanding of this vital vitamin is much greater than it was ten years ago.” With around 70 clinical trials focused on K2’s influence on health and general biology Maresz is encouraged that the vitamin is starting to be studied in greater detail.
The Japanese dish Natto is the best way to consume vitamin K2 through food.
markers,” says Maresz. “There might be different mechanisms that are involved in the modulation of immune response by vitamin K2. It has been shown that K2 can modulate immune response through non-canonical pathways, as well as vitamin K dependent proteins.”
“There is scientific evidence that poor vitamin K status is associated with low bone mineral density and increased fracture risk.”
Maresz cites another clinical study where vitamin K2 was effective as an anti-inflammatory nutrient in rheumatoid arthritis patients. In fact, in the 2015 paper, ‘Menaquinone-7 as a novel pharmacological therapy in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis: A clinical study’, researchers remarked that MK-7 represents a new promising agent for rheumatoid arthritis in combination therapy with other disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs. “Growing evidence suggests a correlation between chronic inflammation and many health conditions including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, metabolic syndrome, inflammatory bowel disease and osteoporosis,” remarks Maresz. “Moreover, during aging, the dysregulation of the immune response leads to a chronic systemic inflammatory state. However, clinical research is needed to prove the benefits of vitamin K2 in inflammatory conditions other than arthritis.”
Out of the shadows
Given that it has so many beneficial effects – many of which target the health conditions that are becoming more prevalent in Western society –
48
“The ongoing studies are focused on cardiovascular health, kidney health, diabetes, fracture healing, Covid treatment and more,” Maresz observes. “Many research centres are involved in basic research focused on vitamin K2 and its mechanism of action. Additionally, some sales companies are involved in the research and collaborate with scientific centres. The knowledge around vitamin K2 is growing, as seen by the dramatic increase of scientific publications from 2000.”
As the volume of research grows and the public slowly becomes more aware of how K2 can benefit the body, one burning question remains – how can we get more K2 into our diet? Supplements are the obvious answer, given that factoring it into your normal diet means eating a traditional Japanese food made from soybeans that have been fermented with Bacillus subtilis, which has a slimy texture, a strong odour and is not universally liked. “The best source of natural vitamin K2 is the traditional Japanese dish Natto, which is hardly consumed outside of Japan, also due to its particular taste and texture,” says Maresz. “Unless you eat Natto the only way to get a nutritional dose of vitamin K2 as MK7 is via supplementation. “Natural vitamin K2 is produced during bacterial fermentation, and is present in foods such as fermented cheese, but only in very small amounts,” she adds. “In fact, the western diet is almost completely void of vitamin K2 as shown in studies in, among others, the Netherlands, which show the western population is low in vitamin K.” Unless you are taking a supplement, the only way you can improve your vitamin K status is by eating a daily portion of Natto for breakfast. That may not be easy for many of us, so the best path for most will be to choose a K2 product that has been evaluated in clinical studies. ●
Ingredients Insight /
www.ingredients-insight.com
Nishihama/
Shutterstock.com
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112
