Vitamin K2 (menatetrenone) effectively prevents fractures and sustains lumbar bone mineral density in osteoporosis

Shiraki M, Shiraki Y, Aoki C, Miura M · Journal of Bone and Mineral Research

The trial most of vitamin K2's bone reputation rests on, and it used a different molecule at roughly 225 times a 200 ug MK-7 dose: MK-4 at 45 mg/day reduced new clinical fractures over 2 years and held lumbar bone density roughly flat (-0.5%) while the untreated group lost 3.3%.

Population

Osteoporotic patients, 24 months

Intervention

Menatetrenone (MK-4) 45 mg/day orally

Comparator

No treatment (open-label control group)

Limitations

Open-label with an untreated rather than placebo control, so expectation effects are unblinded on both sides; 241 patients; a 45 mg/day pharmacological dose of MK-4, which says nothing directly about microgram MK-7 supplements.