Vitamin K2 'could improve bone strength in women'
A team of researchers from the Netherlands have suggested that vitamin K2 (MK-4, menatretrenone) could help maintain bone strength and structure in women at risk of developing osteoporosis.
Dr Marjo Knapen and his team from University of Maastricht carried out their research over a three-year period. Their study was a randomised, double-blind trial of postmenopausal women.
The findings of the research are published in the journal Osteoporosis International.
It was found that women given a dietary supplement with vitamin K2 maintained bone strength and structure over the whole period of the trial, despite the fact that bone mineral density (BMD) was not affected.
In contrast, those women who were given the placebo continued to lose bone strength throughout.
As a result of the findings, Dr Knapen and the team conclude: "We have demonstrated that vitamin K2 is capable of improving both the bone mineral content and bone geometry at critical sites."
"Even in the very high doses used in our study, adverse side effects of MK-4 were minor and not different from the placebo group. Therefore, it seems desirable to evaluate the cost-benefits of supplementing low dose vitamin K2 to all postmenopausal women."
A spokesman for the Arthritis Research Campaign said that more research into vitamin K2 would be needed before the supplement could be routinely given to people with osteoporosis.
In the meantime, vitamin D, which is needed for the body to absorb calcium, was important in the diets of post-menopausal women.
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