KEY INTERVIEW: NattoPharma’s Vitamin K2 Grows as Several Studies Support Its Benefits

03 May 2016 --- Consumers, supplement manufacturers and health professionals are no strangers to vitamin K, a fat-soluble vitamin known to aid blood clotting. It was recently discovered, however, that there are two major types of vitamin K – K1 and K2 – which have different roles and offer different benefits to consumers. Norwegian company NattoPharma specialises in the production and marketing of vitamin K2, which has been demonstrated in clinical studies to deliver bone and cardiovascular benefits, making it an invaluable nutrient for all stages of life. Vice President Sales & Marketing Europe & Asia, Rudi De Man spoke to NutritionInsight about the journey so far.

“The benefits of vitamin K1 have been known for several years,” he says. “But over the years the importance of vitamin K2 has been clinically validated, with the most telling pieces of research publishing in just the last few years. NattoPharma, the world leader in vitamin K2 research and development, was established in 2004. In K2 and in my one year with the company, I have been charged with driving the commercialization process and establishing a distribution network throughout Europe and Asia that will give the company an even broader reach.”

Vitamin K has long been incorrectly thought to be a facilitator for bone health and protector from cardiovascular disease, but a breakthrough came in 2013 when a vitamin K2-specific clinical trial, published in the journal Osteoporosis International, showed an important effect on bone mineral composition, bone density, and overall bone strength. The findings of the placebo-controlled trial were seen as significant as people started to take more notice of this vitamin sub-group that activates 17 different proteins related to calcium depositing. The consequence is that calcium spends less time lingering in the arteries, where it can cause calcification blockages, and more time where it can benefit people most – strengthening bones.

“Vitamin K2 was isolated and identified in the Japanese fermented soybean dish called natto,” De Man explains. “Researchers discovered that people who ate a lot of this fermented product remained very healthy. It was discovered that the fermentation process produces vitamin K2. K2 is difficult to obtain from diet alone – natto is the most uniquely rich source of vitamin K2, while the most popular Western source is fermented cheese, but even then very low doses are available.”

The benefits of vitamin K2 are wide-ranging and pertinent to all age groups, but particularly children, who are laying down calcium stores and mature adults, in whom calcium stores may have reached their peak. The Osteoporosis International study showed that supplementation with vitamin K2 can help to increase bone mineral density and bone strength, but another 3-year study (published in Thrombosis and Haemostasis, 2015) also importantly confirmed that K2 supplementation can not only inhibit calcium deposits in arteries and soft tissues, but actually lead to more flexible arteries.

“Supplementation with vitamin K2 is the most effective and popular way to increase K2 intake,” explains De Man. “But the next phase will be supplementation in food products. Dairy products, particularly yoghurt, are known to be a good vehicle as they optimise absorption of calcium and vitamin D, as well as K2. The K2 directs the calcium to where it needs to be – the bones – rather than the arteries.”

“At NattoPharma we don’t manufacture final products, but we provide our MenaQ7 Vitamin K2 as MK-7 in many delivery methods, including powders, oil and water soluble solutions. Further, our MenaQ7 was the actual material used in the important clinical studies showing the benefits of vitamin K2.”

The main role for De Man is to get the message out that K2 is a significant, useful and important supplement to take. “In some countries, such as Germany, K2 is well-known and popular, but there are areas where even medical professionals do not seem to be aware of its presence and its importance. K2 is not well-known in the UK and France, for example, so we are working hard to raise its profile in these countries,” says De Man. “We are currently working closely with supplement manufacturers to incorporate K2 into products and hopefully we will see awareness build soon.”

Another major 11-year study was recently published that will increase awareness of the importance of K2 among health professionals. As well as bone health, cardiovascular health is also strongly linked to vitamin K deficiency and this month a study by the American Heart Association showed a clear link between deficiency and heart disease. The study, published in Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology, found that those with lower levels of activation of vitamin K2-dependent proteins, had higher rates of cardiovascular events.

De Man feels confident that the popularity of NattoPharma’s MenaQ7 Vitamin K2 product will continue to grow, particularly if further benefits are discovered.

“We are looking at other benefits in addition to the validated bone health and cardiovascular. Early indications show that vitamin K2 has benefits for other diseases such as diabetes and even Alzheimers. There needs to be a lot more research carried out, but considering that K2 switches on no less than 17 proteins (so far), there is potential for research into many more therapeutic areas,” concludes De Man.

by Kelly Worgan