Vitamin K Slows Coronary Artery Calcification

An important new study shows that vitamin K can slow the progression of coronary artery calcification. That’s important because coronary artery calcification is a strong predictor of cardiovascular events.

Coronary artery calcification is the buildup of calcium in the arteries of your heart, following the accumulation of fat and cholesterol. It makes it harder for blood to flow through and can lead to cardiovascular events, including heart attack.

This new study suggests that vitamin K may play an important role in protecting your arteries from calcification.

Vitamin K comes in two forms: K1, which comes from plant foods like green leafy vegetables, and K2, which is manufactured by bacteria in the gut. A form of K2, known as MK-7 is an especially well absorbed and powerful form of vitamin K. It is effective at promoting bone quality and strength. One of the ways that it does this is by helping in the production of osteocalcin. And that’s more important than you think.

Osteocalcin helps attract calcium to your bones, so it is important for preventing osteoporosis. Another protein in your body, called MGP, prevents calcium form depositing in your arteries. Vitamin K activates osteocalcin and MGP, steering calcium to your bones, where you really want it, and away from your arteries, where you really don’t.

So, can MK-7 protect you from coronary artery disease while it protects you from osteoporosis?

This important study gave either a placebo or 360mcg MK-7 to people with coronary artery disease for 2 years.

In the placebo group, scores of calcification continued their upward path, going from 145 to 214 in 2 years. But taking MK-7 significantly slowed that progression, with scores rising from 135 to only 184. That’s 29% less progression.

The results for calcium mass score, an important measure of calcification in your arteries, were just as impressive. There was 42% less progression in the vitamin K group.

This study valuably suggests that vitamin K2 can protect your cardiovascular system while it protects your bones.

JAMA Cardiol. June 10, 2026:doi:10.1001/jamacardio.2026.1279.

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