Vitamin K2 Importance for Cardio Health Highlighted at Nephrology Symposium
VIKIPEDIA Trial using 1 mg MenaQ7® K2 as MK-7 was the centerpiece of a presentation at the 10th Annual Nephrology Symposium 2022 in Greece.
A presentation at the 10th Annual Nephrology Symposium 2022, an event organized by the Academy of Nephrology & Nephrology Clinic of the University General Hospital of Larissa, Department of Medicine of the University of Thessaly, discussed the important role vitamin K2 plays in vascular calcification and the potential impact for chronic kidney disease patients. A core element of the presentation was a discussion of the current VIKIPEDIA Trial, which uses the highest dosage of MenaQ7Ò Vitamin K2 as MK-7 to date: 1 mg daily.
The Nephrology Symposium covers modern scientific developments in kidney diseases related to diagnosis, prevention, and treatment. According to event organizers, the main goal of the event is to contribute to more effective and correct treatment of kidney diseases. The program was attended by distinguished scientists from Greece and abroad with renowned clinical and research work in nephrology and other fields of medicine.
One of those esteemed presenters was Stefanos Roumeliotis, MD, PhD, lead researcher of the multi-center, placebo-controlled, randomized, open-label intervention clinical trial “The Effect of Vitamin K2 Supplementation on Arterial stiffness and Cardiovascular Events in PEritonial DIAlysis (VIKIPEDIA)”. Dr. Roumeliotis and his colleagues at Aristotle University of Thessoloniki in Greece are studying the effect of K2 supplementation (through the normalization of dp-ucMGP) on arterial stiffness and the occurrence of cardiovascular events.
“Cardiovascular disease is the main cause of death in end-stage kidney disease patients undergoing maintenance dialysis, mainly due to accelerated vascular calcification. Having this in mind, it is crucial to investigate possible novel therapeutic choices to abrogate vascular calcification in these patients,” he explains. “Exogenous supplementation of vitamin K2 in dialysis patients has proven to be safe and well tolerated. This present study aims to elucidate whether increased vitamin K intake in peritoneal dialysis patients might be of cardiovascular benefit.
“VIKIPEDIA is the first study to assess whether a high dosage of menaquinone-7 could improve arterial stiffness, mortality, cardiovascular disease, 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure, and dialysis efficacy in patients with peritoneal dialysis,” Dr. Roumeliotis adds. “MenaQ7 was chosen to be used in the study because the compound showed its efficacy to improve vitamin K status in many clinical trials with kidney patients.”
The protocol for the 1.5-year study was published in June 2021, and researchers will collaborate with renowned vitamin K researchers and Gnosis by Lesaffre research partner Maastricht University, the Netherlands.
“The implications of vitamin K2 being a part of this symposium are immeasurable,” says Sophie Legrain, Gnosis by Lesaffre Director of R&D. “It cannot be overstated the importance of every possible opportunity to advance industry, academic, and medical understanding of this essential nutrient. The VIKIPEDIA Trial using such a high dosage of our MenaQ7 K2 supports its high safety profile, and we are excited at the potential positive results can offer for an at-risk patient population.”
About Gnosis by Lesaffre
Gnosis by Lesaffre harnesses the power of microorganisms and biotransformation processes like fermentation to cultivate nutritional actives, probiotics, and nutritional and functional yeasts that benefit human health and well-being. The team draws on its focused research and application capabilities to collaborate with nutraceutical and pharmaceutical brands to develop game-changing products for their customers.
About Lesaffre
A key global player in fermentation for more than a century, Lesaffre, with a 2.2 billion euro turnover, and established on all continents, counts 10,700 employees and more than 70 nationalities. On the strength of this experience and diversity, we work with customers, partners, and researchers to find ever more relevant answers to the needs of food, health, naturalness, and respect for our environment. Thus, every day, we explore and reveal the infinite potential of microorganisms.
To nourish 10 billion people, in a healthy way, in 2050 by making the most of our planet’s resources is a major and unprecedented issue. We believe fermentation is one of the most promising answers to this challenge.
Published July 15, 2023