MenaQ7 Vitamin K2 Makes Heart, Bone Health Connection for Women

NEW YORK, NY--(Marketwired - Jan 5, 2016) - Young women pursuing a career and raising a family often put off medical care not realizing that they are at risk for a heart attack or stroke. Medical experts recommend women be mindful of preventative measures throughout all stages of their lives to avoid premature heart disease and cardiovascular events. Key nutrients such as vitamin K2, which 97 percent of the Western population is deficient in, can be missing from even the healthiest diets. A recent randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial, published in Thrombosis and Haemostasis, using a specific vitamin K2 called MenaQ7, made by NattoPharma, proved vitamin K2's positive cardiovascular effects by improving arterial flexibility, an important benefit to women's heart health.

"Vitamin K2 is a very important heart nutrient for women at any age because it works hand-in-hand to promote good bone health," said Dana Cohen, M.D., a nationally renowned internal and integrative medicine specialist whose multi-disciplinary approach has helped treat thousands of patients using a variety of conventional and complementary therapies. "Without vitamin K2, the body does not properly utilize calcium to build stronger bones. Rather, the calcium gets lodged in the bloodstream where it can deposit in arteries and soft tissues, causing calcification, or hardening. This can have a detrimental effect on heart health, including increasing the risk of cardiovascular issues."

According to a study published Nov. 23 in JAMA Internal Medicine, young women who've had a heart attack will have a 20-times increased risk of a second heart attack, and a tripled risk of a first stroke, according to findings. Two more recent studies published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology confirm that women under the age of 55 are often left in the dark when it comes to knowing the risk factors of heart disease, and are less likely to receive life-saving procedures to open clogged heart arteries compared to their male counterparts.

"One of my biggest concerns about heart disease prevention for women is that doctors are not making the connection between a woman's bone and heart health," said Dr. Dennis Goodman, author of "Vitamin K2: The Missing Nutrient for Heart and Bone Health," and cardiologist and director of the Integrative Medicine Department at NYU Langone Medical Center. "Calcium supplementation plays an important role for building bones but can cause problems for the heart if vitamin K2 is missing from the calcium supplement. What many doctors will tell women to do is to just stop taking the calcium, but that's not the answer. Calcium needs to be taken along with vitamin K2, which plays a critical role of regulating calcium metabolism by keeping the calcium in your bones and out of your arteries where calcium buildup can lead to artery clogging that can cause heart disease and strokes."

Heart disease is the leading cause of death for women in the United States, killing nearly 422,000 each year, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The only contraindication to vitamin K2 is the use of oral anticoagulants, such as Coumadin (warfarin). Anyone taking these medications should consult with their doctor before adding K2 to their regimen.

Clinical studies using MenaQ7, the only vitamin K2 with patents granted and pending for cardiovascular health, have established effective doses for safe use. For more, visit http://www.menaq7.com.