Life Extension Newsletter
Life Extension Newsletter
Trial Finds Vitamin K2 and Vitamin D3 Reduce Coronary Artery Calcium Progression
Clinical trial findings published in the American Heart Association journal Circulation revealed slower progression of coronary artery calcium in participants who received vitamin K2 and vitamin D3 in comparison with a placebo.1
Coronary arteries, which reside on the outside of the heart, supply the organ with the blood it needs to function. While calcium by itself does not cause heart disease, it is a hallmark of atherosclerosis, and a high coronary artery calcium score is associated with an increased risk of heart attacks, strokes, and other cardiovascular events.
The current randomized, double-blind, two-year trial enrolled men and women with a severe coronary artery calcification score of at least 400 Agatston units (AU) as determined by CT scans. Participants who were given vitamins K2 and D3 experienced an average increase in coronary artery calcium of 196 AU after 24 months compared with 248 AU in the placebo group, indicating slower progression.
"Among men and women with severe coronary calcification...vitamin K2 and vitamin D3 reduced progression of coronary artery calcium over 24 months," authors Selma Hasific, MD, PhD, of Odense University Hospital and colleagues concluded. "These findings support the hypothesis that the coronary artery calcium pathway may be modifiable in humans and warrant further trials designed to determine whether modification of this pathway provides clinical benefit."
The Danish Coronary Decalcification (DANCODE) trial included men and women whose CT scans, within three years prior to the current trial, revealed severe coronary artery calcification. Two hundred participants were given 720 mcg of vitamin K2 in the form of menaquinone-7 plus 25 mcg (1,000 IU) vitamin D3 and 198 participants received a placebo daily for 24 months. Cardiac CT scans measured coronary artery calcium at the beginning of the trial and at 12 and 24 months. A subset of 143 participants who had coronary artery calcium scores of less than 1,000 AU underwent contrast coronary CT angiography scans to assess calcified and noncalcified plaque burden.
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Apply What You’ve Learned: Coronary artery calcium
- In individuals with suspected atherosclerosis, even in those with no symptoms, buildup of calcium in the coronary artery walls can be assessed with a CT scan. Having a coronary artery calcium (CAC) score of between 100 and 300 Agatston units (AU) indicates moderate plaque deposits associated with a relatively high risk of heart disease or a heart attack during the next three to five years.2 A coronary artery calcium (CAC) score close to zero is optimal.
- Although CT scans are considered noninvasive, repeated scans expose the patient to radiation that may result in a small increase in the risk of developing cancer. A study that estimated the risk of radiation-induced cancer in 61,510,000 individuals who received a total of 93,000,000 CT scans in 2023 predicted approximately 103,000 future cancers as a result.3 However, for individual patients, when clinically appropriate, the benefits of CT imaging far outweigh the risk.4
- Blood values are also important in the evaluation of cardiovascular disease risk. These include lipids (cholesterol, its subfractions, and triglycerides); atherogenic lipoproteins including oxidized low-density lipoprotein (ox-LDL), apolipoprotein B-100 (ApoB) and apolipoprotein A1 (ApoA1), and lipoprotein(a); and homocysteine, various markers of inflammation (C-reactive protein (CRP), myeloperoxidase and fibrinogen) as well as nutrient biomarkers such as omega-3 fatty acid and vitamin D levels.
- A study concluded that high intake of total fats, proteins, processed and red meats and alcohol increase the risk of coronary artery calcification.5 And while lifestyle measures such as diet as well as additional nutrients and specific prescription drugs can lower the risk of cardiovascular disease in general, recent research in elderly men found that higher serum levels of the hormones DHEA and testosterone were associated with lower coronary artery calcium scores.6
References
- 1. Hasific S, Øvrehus KA, Mejldal A, et al. Vitamin K2 and D3 supplementation in patients with severe coronary artery calcification: The DANCODE Trial. Circulation. 2026 Aug 28.
- 2. Coronary calcium scan. Mayo Clinic. https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/heart-scan/about/pac-20384686 Accessed 2026 Sep 8.
- 3. Smith-Bindman R, Chu PW, Firdaus HA, et al. Projected lifetime cancer risks from current computed tomography imaging. JAMA Intern Med. 2025 Jun 1;185(6):710-719.
- 4. Doctrow B. Radiation from CT scans and cancer risks. National Institutes of Health. 2025 Apr 29. https://www.nih.gov/news-events/nih-research-matters/radiation-ct-scans-cancer-risks Accessed 2026 Sep 8.
- 5. Basu A, Chien LC, Alman AC, et al. Associations of dietary patterns and nutrients with coronary artery calcification and pericardial adiposity in a longitudinal study of adults with and without type 1 diabetes. Eur J Nutr. 2021 Oct;60(7):3911-3925.
- 6. Ohlsson C, Nethander M, Norlén AK, et al. Serum DHEA and testosterone levels associate inversely with coronary artery calcification in elderly men. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2023 Nov 17;108(12):3272-3279.
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