Researchers followed 4,807 Dutch men and women aged 55 and over for about seven years and compared how much vitamin K1 and vitamin K2 they ate with heart disease that developed later. People eating the most vitamin K2 had fewer deaths from coronary heart disease, lower all-cause mortality, and less severe calcification of the aorta. Vitamin K1 intake was not linked to any of these outcomes.
Vitamin K is best known for its part in blood clotting. It also switches on proteins outside the liver, including matrix Gla-protein, found in artery walls, which appears to hold back calcium deposits. Calcium in the artery wall is linked to heart disease. Vitamin K comes in two dietary forms: phylloquinone, or vitamin K-1, mainly from green vegetables and vegetable oils, and menaquinone, or vitamin K-2, which here came mainly from meat, eggs, cheese and dairy. The researchers asked whether people eating more of either form had less artery calcification and fewer coronary events.
This was an observational analysis inside the Rotterdam Study, a population cohort of older people in one district of Rotterdam in the Netherlands. It included 4807 men and women aged 55 and over with dietary data and no history of heart attack at the 1990 to 1993 baseline. Diet was recorded with a validated food frequency questionnaire and a dietitian interview, and vitamin K in Dutch foods was measured by laboratory analysis. Follow-up ran to 1 January 2000, a mean of 7.2 years (SD 1.9), giving 34,645 person-years. Calcium in the abdominal aorta was graded at baseline from lumbar spine X-rays in 4473 people. Intakes were adjusted for energy and split into thirds. Results were adjusted for age, gender, energy, body mass index, smoking, pack-years, diabetes, education, alcohol, saturated fat, polyunsaturated fat, flavonols and calcium. Nobody was given a supplement.
There were 144 first non-fatal heart attacks, 99 fatal coronary events and 602 other deaths. Median menaquinone intakes across the three groups were 15.1, 26.9 and 40.9 micrograms a day. Comparing the middle and top thirds with the bottom third:
Phylloquinone was not linked to any outcome. Its adjusted relative risks for coronary death were 0.90 and 1.02.
This is an observational cohort, so it cannot establish cause. Diet was measured once, by questionnaire, and people misreport what they eat. Menaquinone intake tracked with total fat, saturated fat, dietary calcium, body mass index and diabetes, so residual confounding is possible. Funding came from the Health Research and Development Council in The Hague, a public body, and no supplement company funding is declared. Two co-authors worked at the laboratory that produced the vitamin K food values used to define the exposure, so measurement and analysis were not independent. Aortic calcification was scored from a plain lower spine X-ray, a proxy rather than a direct look at the coronary arteries. The authors note that gut bacteria also produce menaquinone, which could not be quantified.
This studied habitual food intake in an elderly Dutch population. It was not a trial. It links eating more menaquinone-containing foods to lower rates of coronary events and severe aortic calcification in that group. It does not show that vitamin K caused the difference, and it does not automatically extend to younger or healthier people. No supplement was given here, so the study says nothing about what a vitamin K supplement would do. The phylloquinone result is a plain null.
That depends on the specific medication and formula. A few, like blood thinners with CurQLife or blood pressure medication with MaxiNOs, are worth a direct conversation with your doctor first. Check each formula's own FAQ section for specifics, or ask your health coach.
No, and we'd rather be upfront about it. Bacopa, the plant in BacoZest, has published human studies, though they used other bacopa extracts. OptiNOs and MaxiNOs each have human studies sponsored by their maker, Laila Nutraceuticals, which haven't been published in a journal. CurQLife's research is still early, from lab and animal studies, and we label it that way.
It depends on what you're building your routine around. BacoZest is built around bacopa, which is studied for memory.* OptiNOs supports strength and muscular endurance alongside resistance training.* MaxiNOs was studied for healthy blood vessel function.* CurQLife's research is still at the lab stage. Your health coach can help you pick a starting point.
All four are built around plant extracts. OptiNOs was reported as well tolerated in its human study, and published bacopa studies reported no serious side effects. CurQLife's safety data so far comes from lab and animal testing. Check with your doctor first if you're pregnant, nursing, on medication, or managing a health condition.
Because the patented ingredients behind our four formulas went through dedicated research, and research costs real money. A generic curcumin or bacopa supplement hasn't been tested in the form you get from us. You're paying for an ingredient with research behind it, not just a label.
Generic ingredients often haven't been studied in the specific form you're buying. Our four core formulas use patented ingredients, and we show you the research behind each one, including where it's still early.
It depends on the formula. In its study, MaxiNOs blood vessel response was higher than placebo 2 to 3 hours after the first dose.* OptiNOs and bacopa were studied over 6 and 12 weeks of daily use, so give them time. CurQLife is meant to be taken daily.
Yes. BacoZest, OptiNOs, MaxiNOs, and CurQLife are built for different goals, and none of them contain stimulants. They haven't been studied together, so ask your health coach how to fit them into your routine.
