Vitamin K2 and Cardiovascular Health

Healthy blood vessels are elastic and elasticity helps to moderate blood pressure. The inner lining of the arterial wall is made up of a thin layer of cells called the endothelium. This important cell layer is protecting the smooth muscle in the middle wall of the artery from direct contact with the blood and various components circulating in the blood. However, the endothelium is also a permeable barrier for transport of important nutrients and oxygen into the tissues. To protect the artery’s elastic smooth muscle against toxic blood components like low-density lipoprotein (LDL), free radicals, and pro-inflammatory cytokines, it is critical to maintain an intact and properly functioning endothelium.

A variety of cells, proteins and other factors are protecting the endothelium, amongst them natural inhibitors of calcification. One of these proteins is the Matrix gla protein (MGP).

MGP was described in 1983 by Price et al1 and later shown to be essential as a natural inhibitor of vascular calcification2. Numerous scientific papers3,4,5 have shown that MGP is dependent upon activation6 and that vitamin K is needed for this activation . A striking feature of inactive MGP, or absence of MGP in animals, is that the animals get highly calcified arteries with deadly outcome7 if not supplied with vitamin K8.  This strongly indicates that vitamin K is needed for the body to deal with proper distribution of calcium. If MGP is not prepared to bind calcium which is taken up in the bloodstream, it can easily make its way into the epithelium lining the arteries and be deposited, often also together with increased lipid deposits. Arterial calcification is now recognized as a form of bone formation in the wall of the arteries.

Calcification of arteries is shown to be highly correlated with risk for cardiovascular health problems. The more calcified our arteries are, the higher the risk for cardiovascular events and fatal outcomes9,10,11,12.  Arterial stiffness and arterial calcification can be objectively measured using non-invasive and computer assisted procedures13. Calcification of arteries is often a silent problem which develops over years. It may not be found unless there is another reason to examine the person. Measurements show that calcification and plaque formation increases with age, with calcium score typically increasing as much as 30-35% per year in untreated patients.

 It is also known that when vitamin K activity is inhibited in man14, there is a concomitant increase in arterial calcification, and also increased bone loss15,16,17,18. This connection between bone and cardiovascular health is called the “calcium paradox”.  More and mo