The Study
The effect of vitamin MK-7 on bone mineral density and microarchitecture in postmenopausal women with osteopenia, a 3-year randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial
This study gave some women a vitamin pill and others a sugar pill to see if the vitamin helped their bones. It found that the vitamin changed one thing in the blood, but didn't actually stop their bones from getting weaker. So we know the vitamin does something in the body, but not enough to help bones in a real way.
Analysis score
Maximum 90 for a randomized controlled trial.
Where the score came from
Scientists gave older women a vitamin K2 pill every day for 3 years to see if it helped their bones, while everyone also got calcium and vitamin D.
Where does this study sit?
Reviews of RCTs (Meta-analyses)
Max 100Randomized Trials
Max 90Reviews of Cohort Studies
Max 85Cohort Studies
Max 72Reviews of Case-Control Studies
Max 63Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional & Case Series
Max 50Expert Opinion
Max 578 / 100
Quality score
Participants are randomly assigned to treatment or control groups, minimizing bias. The gold standard for testing whether an intervention causes an effect.
Key takeaways
Summary
Based on the study abstract and findings.
- 1Even though the vitamin worked on a biochemical level, it didn’t slow bone loss or improve bone structure in real life.
- 2Vitamin K2 improved a blood marker of bone health by 65%, but bone density still dropped the same amount as in the placebo group — about 1.5% to 2.4% at key sites.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
Osteoporosis International
Year
2020
Authors
S. Rønn, T. Harsløf, L. Oei, S. Pedersen, B. Langdahl
Related Content
Claims (6)
Taking 375 micrograms of vitamin MK-7 every day for three years does not change how quickly bone density decreases in the spine, hip, or femoral neck in postmenopausal women with low bone density, even when they also take calcium and vitamin D.
Taking 375 micrograms of vitamin MK-7 daily for three years does not change bone turnover markers or bone structure in postmenopausal women with low bone density, even though it increases the activation of osteocalcin.
Taking vitamin K2 supplements leads to the activation of vitamin K-dependent carboxylation pathways in humans.
In postmenopausal women with osteopenia, taking 375 micrograms of vitamin MK-7 daily for three years increases the carboxylation of osteocalcin, but does not slow bone mineral density loss or change bone microarchitecture when calcium and vitamin D intake is adequate.
In postmenopausal women with low bone density, taking vitamin MK-7 for one year improves bone structure temporarily, but this improvement disappears by three years.
In postmenopausal women with low bone density who are already getting enough calcium and vitamin D, taking vitamin MK-7 does not change the rate of bone remodeling as measured by bone turnover markers.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.