Research says statin drug use necessitates Vitamin K2 supplementing.
“According to the study, statins negatively influence Vitamin K status,” said Dr. Hogne Vik, chief medical officer with NattoPharma, a Vitamin K2 supplier and widely recognized research and development company. “To that end, supplementation with Vitamin K2, which has been shown to effectively improve Vitamin K status and activate extrahepatic K-dependent proteins, might prove beneficial for statin users.”
The paradox of statin treatment
Statin drugs are advocated as the first-line drugs for the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular disease (CVD); however, in a cruel paradox, intensive statin therapy has been shown to increase vascular calcification and accelerate its progression.
For this reason, some experts have been trying to build momentum for Vitamin K use as a possible mechanism for mediating the pro-calcification effects of statins.
To conduct the study researchers recruited 98 patients, including patients with CVD and a control group of healthy patients at risk for CVD. The recruits were split into two groups: statin users and non-users. The researchers found that both CVD and statin use are independently and significantly associated with vascular calcification.
Coronary artery calcification score (CACS) was more pronounced in statin users than non-users, whether the patients had CVD or not. Finally, statins were shown to interact with Vitamin K agonists, directly negatively influencing Vitamin K status.
Study corroborates earlier research
The study corroborated earlier studies, including a 2015 study published in Expert Review Clinical Pharmacology, which stated that statins may act as “mitochondrial toxins” with adverse effects on the heart and blood vessels—not only via the depletion of CoQ10, but also by inhibiting the synthesis of Vitamin K2.
The researchers stressed their hope that the new information would help gain official recognition of the urgent need of Vitamin K recommendations for people taking statin drugs. “This new study provides further evidence that statins interrupt the mechanism of action by which Vitamin K2 is a cardio-protective nutrient,” asserted Dr. Vik.” And while CoQ10 and Vitamin K2 are both affected by statins, no recommendation exists for prescribing supplemental Vitamin K2 to statin patients.”
For statin users this information can be both alarming and beneficial. Now that you’re aware of what the drugs are doing you also know steps you can take to protect yourself from further damage.
Should you have additional questions or concerns please feel free to contact our office.
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Source: Kaohsiung Journal of Medical Sciences, Expert Review of Clinical Pharmacy.
