Hi-Dose Vit. D and Arterial Calcification

A new article that may be of interest to some on this forum:

Billington, E.O., Burt, L.A., Plett, R. et al. Effect of high-dose vitamin D supplementation on peripheral arterial calcification: secondary analysis of a randomized controlled trial. Osteoporos Int (2020). [doi.org]

Summary

Although high-dose vitamin D supplementation is common, effects on arterial calcification remain unexplored. Tibial artery calcification was identified and quantified over 3 years in participants randomized to 400, 4000, or 10,000 IU vitamin D3 daily. High-dose vitamin D supplementation did not affect the development or progression of arterial calcification.

Introduction

To determine whether vitamin D supplementation has a dose-dependent effect on development and progression of arterial calcification. . . . . .

Conclusions

In this population of community-dwelling adults who were vitamin D replete at baseline, supplementation with vitamin D 400, 4000, or 10,000 IU/day did not have differential effects on the development or progression of arterial calcification over 3 years.

Thanks - useful to know

Notice in the study that they required everyone meet 1200mg daily of calcium.

Might as well make a study that shows vitamin D did not affect development or progression of motor skills of people drinking a quart of vodka daily.

Oddly they all performed equally bad????

One more step backwards for science.

Good point NLAMA - I should have noticed that thanks for pointing it out.

It's definitely important to be aware of the beneficial function of Vitamin K2 in the menaquinone 7 form. There have been many posts on this topic in the AF side... but for overall, health, everyone should be aware.

Here's a clip from one of the reports in my stash...

HUMAN STUDIES

Observational research appears to show an inverse association between dietary K2 and cardiovascular disease.39,40,73 In the Rotterdam study, high vitamin K2 intake was linked to a lower risk of fatal heart attack, aortic calcification, and all-cause mortality.39 In reviewing data from 4807 Dutch men and women, the relative risk (RR) of coronary heart disease mortality was reduced in the middle and upper tertiles of dietary menaquinone compared with the lower tertile (RR=0.73 and RR=0.43, respectively).39 Intake of K2 was also inversely related to all-cause mortality (RR=0.91 and RR=0.74, respectively) and severe aortic calcification (odds ratios of 0.71 and 0.48, respectively).39 Phylloquinone intake was not related to any of the outcomes.39 Researchers in other observational studies have also found no relationship between phylloquinone intake and coronary heart disease.40,73,74

In an observational study that included 16,057 women ages 49–70 who were followed for an average of 8.1 years, researchers found that each 10-μg increase in daily vitamin K2 consumption was associated with a 9% lower incidence of heart attack.40 Subjects in the study consumed an average of 29 μg/day of K2, with a range of 0.9–128 μg.40 The authors of that study analyzed the K2 subtypes and found that MK-7–MK-9 (P=0.05, P=0.03, and P=0.02, respectively) had the strongest association with reduced heart attack risk per microgram consumed, while MK-4 had no significant relationship (P=0.11).40

Another observational study conducted on 564 postmenopausal women showed results similar to those of the previous studies.73 Intake of phylloquinone was not associated with coronary calcification (P=0.11), while increased intake of menaquinone was significantly associated with decreased coronary calcification of 20% (P=0.03).73 The authors concluded that “high intake of menaquinone, but probably not phylloquinone, is associated with reduced coronary calcification.”73

In a 3-year, double-blind, controlled trial, researchers investigated the potential effect of vitamin K on the progression of coronary calcification in 401 older (60–80 years of age), community-dwelling adults who were free of cardiovascular disease.75 The participants were randomized to receive a daily effervescent multivitamin with or without 500 μg of phylloquinone.75 On the basis of coronary artery calcification measurements at baseline and in follow-up, the researchers found that phylloquinone supplementation was able to limit the progression of vascular calcification in those with preexisting coronary artery calcification.75 In contrast, phylloquinone supplementation did not reduce the development of new coronary artery calcification, of which there was an annual increase of 5% in both groups.75

Dialysis patients are at an increased cardiovascular disease risk due to premature vascular calcification.76 Elevated levels of ucMGP are frequently present in this population, and they can indicate insufficient intake of vitamin K.77

In an observational study, 3401 participants with chronic kidney disease from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey were assessed for vitamin K intake and cardiovascular disease.76 Of these, 1815 and 876 participants died as a result of all causes and cardiovascular disease, respectively.76 Seventy-two percent of the participants had vitamin K consumption less than the recommended dietary intake.76 Study participants with vitamin K intake higher than adequate levels had a 15% lower risk of all-cause mortality and 22% lower risk of cardiovascular disease mortality.76

As stated previously, ucMGP is a biomarker for cardiovascular disease.64 In a recent placebo-controlled study, daily supplementation with 180 mg or 360 mg of MK-7 led to significant reductions in ucMGP of 31% and 46%, respectively, compared with placebo.62 Researchers in another study examined 200 dialysis patients who were administered supplementation with 360 μg, 720 μg, or 1080 μg of MK-7 three times weekly over an 8-week period. In these patients, the proportions of ucMGP were significantly reduced by 17%, 33%, and 46%, respectively (P<0.001 for all doses).77 The authors concluded that menaquinone supplementation may be a novel approach to preventing vascular calcification in chronic hemodialysis patients.77

A long-term trial in which researchers studied the effects of MK-7 effects on arterial stiffness also demonstrated encouraging results. A total of 244 healthy postmenopausal women aged between 55 and 65 years were randomized to receive either 180 μg of MK-7 or placebo daily for 3 years. After 3 years of treatment, overall arterial stiffness in the MK-7 group had decreased significantly, as compared with a slight increase seen in the placebo group (P=0.018).78 It is interesting to note that the authors found that women with more carotid arterial stiffness at the trial’s start saw greater benefit than those with less carotid arterial stiffness (P=0.009).78 The authors also noted a significant decrease in circulating ucMGP in the MK-7 group compared with the placebo group (P<0.0001).78


The Role of Vitamin K2 in Bone and Cardiovascular Health
December 7, 2016

Source: Journal of Restorative Medicine, Volume 5, Number 1, 1 December 2016, pp. 14-26(13)

[restorativemedicine.org]

Jackie