Vitamin K reduces vascular stiffness, blood pressure in humans

[Peatress]

Have you tried policosanols or olive leaf extract? These are a couple of ideas I have listed in my notes.

Thank you. Yes to olive leaf extract but no to policosanol besides what is contained in tocovits. Do you know a good source? Might as well try this.

 

[sweetpeat]

Thank you. Yes to olive leaf extract but no to policosanol besides what is contained in tocovits. Do you know a good source? Might as well try this.

Swanson's has one for a decent price with only rice flour and capsule as additional ingredients: policosanols

 

[cremes]

I bought policosanols from Purebulk and took 40mg divides dose for about 5 months. No measurable effect good or ill. I still have it but it’s off my list of just haves.

 

[geusterman]

Thanks for that Peatress. I’d like to know that answer too.
Because the goal here is reducing blood pressure I’m also going to spread my Armour thyroid out throughout the day instead of taking it all at once in the morning. I’ll probably miss a few dose (requires empty stomach).
I’m going to get a sleep study test soon because that can affect blood pressure. Losing weight also helps.
I probably need to ignore the web more as watching my country crash around me raises my blood pressure.

 

[dukesbobby777]

I bought policosanols from Purebulk and took 40mg divides dose for about 5 months. No measurable effect good or ill. I still have it but it’s off my list of just haves.

Yeah I bought that exact product, and also noticed absolutely nothing lol

 

[David PS]

Vitamin K does lower blood pressure but that’s not the case for everyone. I’ve tried K1, K2 (MK4 and MK7), high dose, low dose. My high blood pressure was unchanged, in fact, there were times when my bp would spike after taking vitamin k. I’ve tried many brands, Relentless improvement, Kuinone, Thorne, Fairvital, and others. With vitamin D, magnesium, and without. The cost has been considerable over the last 6 years and still I rise!

Dr. Peat discusses blood pressure in this interview.

KMUD: August 2009 You Are What You Eat

I'm posting a bunch of new-to-me Herb Doctors episodes. Here's You Are What You Eat. These are from Western Botanical Medicine's new archive of interviews.

raypeatforum.com

From my notes on ways to lower blood pressure naturally from Dr. Peat and others:

1. Increase potassium intake: Potassium is a nutrient that can help lower blood pressure. Foods rich in potassium include bananas, oranges, spinach, avocados, and sweet potatoes. Consider incorporating these into your diet.
2. Consume magnesium-rich foods: Magnesium is another nutrient that can help lower blood pressure. Foods high in magnesium include dark chocolate, almonds, spinach, and legumes. Adding these to your meals can be beneficial.
3. Limit sodium intake: High sodium levels can contribute to high blood pressure. Try to reduce your consumption of processed foods, fast food, and salty snacks. Instead, opt for fresh, whole foods and season your meals with herbs and spices instead of salt.
4. Increase physical activity: Regular exercise can help lower blood pressure. Aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic activity per week. You can engage in activities such as brisk walking, cycling, swimming, or dancing.

 

[Peatress]

Thank you @David PS

That interview was worth listening to again because I believe I have long term radiation poisoning unfortunately, they don’t discuss blood pressure. I have listened to a lot of Dr Peat’s interviews on blood pressure, searched his newsletters, read extensively on this forum over the years. I get plenty of potassium and magnesium via diet and supplements. When my sodium was at its lowest my BP was at its highest. I’ve never heard Dr Peat say limiting sodium intake reduces blood pressure. On the contrary, he often tells people that sodium restriction is dangerous. Exercise – if this was the solution then I should never have developed high blood pressure in the first place. Before anyone tells me to lose weight, I was very slender when I first developed high blood pressure.

I’ve posted about some, but not all, the many ways I’ve been poisoned by the medical industrial complex including excess radiation exposures. I’m no longer looking for the causes of my tissue destruction, rather, I am focusing on ways to slow the progress of the damage.

All the vitamins, including K, have been helpful but so far nothing has fixed the damage.

 

[Peatress]

Swanson's has one for a decent price with only rice flour and capsule as additional ingredients: policosanols

Thank you. I will try this.

 

[LA]

I have low blood pressure and I believe it is due to taking a lot of vitamin C and vitamin E. Also Adele Davis has stated in 2 of her books that the body needs Choline in order to lower Blood Pressure. @David PS put up one of the Adele Davis Books on this forum and if you look in the index you can find where Adele Davis gives that advice. I take a High Vitamin B-complex daily and if I need something more, such as PABA in the summer or B5 for energy then I trust that my body will p-ss out the amount it doesnt need. I dont believe in taking separate large doses of only one B vitamin. It doesnt work for me.

 

[Peatress]

Choline is a very interesting nutrient. I bought and read two books by Adele Davis a few years ago. She does encourage the use of eggs as a source of choline but the quality of eggs has declined since her time. I do eat eggs (1 – 2 a day) and I have supplemented choline previously (not peaty) – it improved sleep but no change in BP was noted.

Just to bring this thread back to vitamin k – I’m keen to hear from anyone who has reduced their BP using vitamin K. I still use vitamin K daily and find it helpful regardless of its effect on BP.

 

[LA]

[snip]
Just to bring this thread back to vitamin k – I’m keen to hear from anyone who has reduced their BP using vitamin K. I still use vitamin K daily and find it helpful regardless of its effect on BP.

I too would also be interested although I have never heard of it curing high blood pressure.

 

[dukesbobby777]

I have been taking 20 drops of kuinone each day since September 6th, and my blood pressure has gone right down. It's now at levels that medical science would deem 'normal'. I'm honestly very surpised that this has worked. I was inspired into trying this from this thread.

20 drops of Kuinone yields 40mg of MK4 K2, that I am taking each day, transdermally, on my shoulders.

I think it probably would have been more interesting for other people reading this if I had actually took readings. I am always taking my blood pressure (three times per day), and it was within a few days that I noticed the difference it has made.

But there are a couple of side effects. I am alot more tired, but also a lot more calmer. Also, my pulse has gone right down. Historically, since starting to 'Peat' back in 2013, my pulse has always been between 80 and 100. Usually it is around 90-95. Nowadays, since starting the kuinone at this dose, my pulse is between 65-80. It has gone right down.

 

[Peatress]

@dukesbobby777 what was the before and after BP values?

 

[David PS]

I have been taking 20 drops of kuinone each day since September 6th, and my blood pressure has gone right down. It's now at levels that medical science would deem 'normal'. I'm honestly very surpised that this has worked. I was inspired into trying this from this thread.

20 drops of Kuinone yields 40mg of MK4 K2, that I am taking each day, transdermally, on my shoulders.

I think it probably would have been more interesting for other people reading this if I had actually took readings. I am always taking my blood pressure (three times per day), and it was within a few days that I noticed the difference it has made.

But there are a couple of side effects. I am alot more tired, but also a lot more calmer. Also, my pulse has gone right down. Historically, since starting to 'Peat' back in 2013, my pulse has always been between 80 and 100. Usually it is around 90-95. Nowadays, since starting the kuinone at this dose, my pulse is between 65-80. It has gone right down.

Congratulation on lowering your blood pressure without resorting to pharmaceuticals.

You might consider slowly lowering your daily dose of MK4 and see if you can find a dose that reduces your blood pressure and does not cause any unwanted effects.

In this article on CKD, MK4 has been shown to reduce calcification in the arteries. I am thinking that the reduction in calcification might be the reason the MK4 worked for you.

Vitamin K and Kidneys (CKD)

The leading cause of death in CKD is cardiovascular calcification. One of the leading interventions for calcification is vitamin K, and we present the emerging research indicating that people with CKD have a vitamin K deficiency.

www.k-vitamins.com

And there appear to be notable sex and age differences in tissue vitamin K levels (Harshman et al, 2016; Huber et al 1999). Harshman studied the vitamin K metabolome in mice exposed to vitamin K deficient diets. They found significant sex-specific differences in all tissues for measurements of K1 , MK4, and various other long-chain MKs. Female rats had significantly higher levels of K1 and MK4 in all tissues.

Research has just begun to explore and clarify the role of vitamin K in CKD, considering both vitamin K1 (phylloquinine) and vitamin K2 (menaquinones), typically focusing on Mk4 and Mk7. A preventive role for vitamin K in vascular calcification has been proposed based on its role in activating matrix Gla protein (MGP), a calcification inhibitor that is expressed in vascular tissue, and other vitamin K dependent proteins (Gallieni et al, 2012).

In this model, the high levels of warfarin knock out the carboxylation of MGP, leading to calcification of the arteries, while the phylloquinone maintained normal coagulation. He then supplemented with a diet rich in K1 or MK4, and showed that the MK4, not K1, was the key factor that inhibited the warfarin-induced arterial calcification. This is explained by the different transport and tissue distribution of menaquinones, resulting in a much more prominent protective effect of menaquinones (compared with phylloquinone) on arterial calcification.

@LA

 

[Badger]

Congratulation on lowering your blood pressure without resorting to pharmaceuticals.

You might consider slowly lowering your daily dose of MK4 and see if you can find a dose that reduces your blood pressure and does not cause any unwanted effects.

In this article on CKD, MK4 has been shown to reduce calcification in the arteries. I am thinking that the reduction in calcification might be the reason the MK4 worked for you.

Vitamin K and Kidneys (CKD)

The leading cause of death in CKD is cardiovascular calcification. One of the leading interventions for calcification is vitamin K, and we present the emerging research indicating that people with CKD have a vitamin K deficiency.

www.k-vitamins.com

@LA

He's been taking the Vitamin K for a little less than a month. Would it de-calcify his arteries that quickly for such results? Seems to me, speaking intuitively, it should take longer.

 

[David PS]

He's been taking the Vitamin K for a little less than a month. Would it de-calcify his arteries that quickly for such results? Seems to me, speaking intuitively, it should take longer.

That thought crossed my mind as well. Do you have a better explaination?

 

[aliml]

Vitamin K2 (MK-4) may be a renin-angiotensin system inhibitor.

Network and 16S rRNA Sequencing-Combined Approach Provides Insightal Evidence of Vitamin K2 for Salt-Sensitive Hypertension - PubMed

Vitamin K₂ (VK2), found to act to treat hypertension, has been widely used in the food and pharmaceutical industries nowadays. However, the potential targets and molecular mechanisms of VK2 for salt-sensitive hypertension have not been fully investigated. Therefore, the study aimed to...

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

 

[Nik665]

The topic of vitamin K and blood pressure has been coming up for years among followers of Peat. He mentioned several cases, of which he had first-hand knowledge, where people managed to significantly and rapidly reduce their blood pressure by taking large doses of vitamin K. A number of naysayers kept bashing Ray and his claims about vitamin K, saying there is no evidence whatsoever that vitamin K reduces blood pressure, and that in fact there is no known mechanism through which vitamin K can effect blood pressure. Well, as a start, here is a decade-old case study reporting that not only can vitamin K lower blood pressure it can do so to the point of hypotension (depending on the dose).

Hypotension associated with menaquinone - PubMed

And now, the controlled, randomized human study below demonstrated that vitamin K can indeed lower blood pressure consistently and the likely mechanism is the reversal of vascular stiffness, which the supplementation with vitamin K also achieved. Vascular stiffness is a symptom of vascular calcification, and vitamin K has been shown in numerous animal studies (and now human ones) to be able to prevent/reverse said calcification. So, considering vitamin K not only effectively lowers blood pressure but actually treats the underlying cause, it probably won't be long before vitamin K becomes a regulated drug in the West, mimicking its prescription-only status in many Asian countries. That would be the only way to prevent/limit the damage vitamin K can do to the multi-billion dollar CVD drug industry.

Beneficial effects of one-year menaquinone-7 supplementation on vascular stiffness and blood pressure in post-menopausal women
Study results demonstrating vascular benefits of MK-7 in menopausal women presented at the European Society of Cardiology Congress

"...In post-hoc analyses, results showed that both pre/peri-menopausal and post-menopausal subjects taking MK-7 saw a significant decrease in dp-ucMGP plasma levels. In post-menopausal women, supplementation with MK-7 significantly attenuated vascular stiffness in post-menopausal women, and those with a high stiffness index saw significant improvements in vascular markers such as decreased blood pressure at brachialis, decreased blood pressure at carotid artery, increased distensibility coefficient and increased compliance coefficient. The study concluded that hormonal changes do in fact negatively impact the vasculature of post-menopausal women, and that MK-7 may attenuate these changes. However, more research is necessary to determine the mechanism by which MK-7 exerts these benefits. “This abstract strengthens the proof that K2 as MenaQ7 supports healthy cardiovascular function in aging women and can serve as an inexpensive tool for protecting heart health,” said Professor Leon Schurgers, lead researcher on the post-hoc analysis and chair of the Gnosis Vitamin K2 Scientific Advisory Committee, in a press release."

Do you think you ADEK product is good? I know peat mentioned something about vitamin k and e combined had a bad redox reaction. Thanks Georgie

 

[Badger]

That thought crossed my mind as well. Do you have a better explaination?

No, what you say makes sense. Was looking for corroboration, if you had any, for your idea. It's fine if you don't. Throwing out ideas, even if lacking backing, is perfectly fine.

 

[LA]

@Badger
I thought you were joking. I told my husband about it and discovered that he once had a pet rat too before I met him. His Raty died naturally and he buried him in his backyard. I hope your rat improves greatly!