The Vitamin Professor Newsletter

Gene Bruno, DBM, MS, RH(AHG) is a 46-year veteran of the dietary supplement industry, and for 20 of those years he served as Professor of Nutraceutical Science at Huntington University of Health Sciences. He now serves as Chief Scientific Officer for Nutraland USA. As “The Vitamin Professor”, Gene will share the most recent research on nutraceuticals in this free bimonthly newsletter. Make sure to subscribe.

This issue of The Vitamin Professor will focus on recent research showing the effectiveness of vitamin K2 for managing nocturnal leg cramps; fucoidan for reducing testosterone-induced BPH symptoms; and magnesium supplementation for blood pressure.

Vitamin K2 for managing nocturnal leg cramps

To determine whether vitamin K2 is better than placebo in managing nocturnal leg cramps (NLCs), a multicenter, double-blind, placebo-controlled randomized clinical trial[1] was conducted. This study used a volunteer sample comprising community-dwelling individuals 65 years and older with 2 or more documented episodes of NLCs during 2 weeks of screening. Researchers performed a history and physical screening of candidates recruited from the community through advertisements, and eligible participants were randomized in a 1:1 ratio to receive vitamin K2 or a placebo for 8 weeks. Patients orally took capsules containing either vitamin K2 (menaquinone 7), 180 mcg, or placebo every day for 8 weeks. The primary outcome was the mean number of NLCs per week between the vitamin K2 and the placebo group. Secondary outcomes included the duration of muscle cramps measured in minutes and the severity of muscle cramps assessed using an analog scale ranging from 1 to 10. Results were that, of the 199 enrolled individuals, 108 (54.3%) were female, and the mean (SD) age was 72.3 (5.5) years. A total of 103 patients (51.8%) were randomly assigned to receive vitamin K2 and 96 (48.2%) were assigned to placebo. The mean (SD) baseline weekly frequency of cramps was comparable in both the vitamin K2 group (2.60 [0.81]) and the placebo group (2.71 [0.80]). During the 8-week intervention, the vitamin K2 group experienced a reduction in the mean (SD) weekly frequency of cramps to 0.96 (1.41). Meanwhile, the placebo group maintained mean (SD) weekly frequency of cramps at 3.63 (2.20). The between-group difference was statistically significant (difference, -2.67; 95% CI, -2.86 to -2.49; P < .001). The vitamin K2 group had a more significant mean (SD) reduction in NLC severity (-2.55 [2.12] points) compared with the placebo group (-1.24 [1.16] points). The vitamin K2 group exhibited a more pronounced mean (SD) decrease in the duration of NLCs (-0.90 [0.88] minutes) than the placebo group (-0.32 [0.78] minutes). No adverse events related to vitamin K2 use were identified. In conclusion, this randomized clinical trial showed that vitamin K2 supplementation significantly reduced the frequency, intensity, and duration of NLCs in an older population with good safety.

Fucoidan for reducing testosterone-induced BPH symptoms

This 28-day study[2] examined the effects of?fucoidan, a sulfated polysaccharide from Undaria pinnatifida, on testosterone-induced benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) in 48 Sprague Dawley rats. The rats were randomly divided into six groups: G1- vehicle control, G2- testosterone alone BPH control group (3 mg/kg), G3- finasteride (10 mg/kg) + testosterone, G4- fucoidan (40 mg/kg) + testosterone, G5- fucoidan (400 mg/kg) + testosterone, and G6- fucoidan alone (400 mg/kg). Results were that fucoidan significantly prevented an increase in prostate weight and prostate index induced by testosterone. DHT levels in the prostate of the intervention groups were significantly lower than in the BPH control group (p <0.05); however, no significant difference was observed in serum levels. Similarly, a significant reduction was observed in serum and prostate testosterone levels in the intervention groups compared to the BPH control group (p <0.05). Biochemical analyses showed PSA levels were significantly lower in the fucoidan groups compared to the BPH control group (p<0.05). Although not statistically significant, fucoidan groups showed a trend of reducing the biochemical markers IL-1β and TNF-α levels. Fucoidan demonstrated pro-apoptotic potential in its ability to decrease BCL-2 and increase BAX. Histopathological evidence revealed fewer microscopic lesions in the fucoidan groups compared to the BPH control group. In conclusion, fucoidan from?Undaria pinnatifida? can reduce testosterone-induced BPH symptoms in SD rats.

Magnesium supplementation for blood pressure

An umbrella meta-analysis[3] of randomized controlled trials in previous meta-analyses examined conflicting results on the effect of magnesium supplementation on blood pressure to provide a more robust conclusion on its effects. This included ten eligible review papers with 8610 participants that studied the influence of magnesium on SBP and DBP. Results from pooling of their effect sizes showed a significant reduction of SBP (ES?=?-1.25 mmHg; 95% CI: -1.98, -0.51,?P?=?0.001) and DBP (ES?=?-1.40 mmHg; 95% CI: -2.04, -0.75,?P?=?0.000) by magnesium supplementation. In subgroup analysis, a significant reduction in SBP and DBP was observed in magnesium intervention with dosage ≥400 mg/day (ES for SBP?=?-6.38 mmHg; ES for DBP?=?-3.71mmHg), as well as in studies with a treatment duration of ≥12 weeks (ES for SBP?=?-0.42 mmHg; ES for DBP?=?-0.45 mmHg). In conclusion, the findings of the new umbrella meta-analysis showed an overall decrease of SBP and DBP with magnesium supplementation, particularly at doses of ≥400 mg/day for ≥12 weeks.

Please join me for my twice monthly Vitamin Professor podcast, during which I explore all aspects of the supplement space with leading industry professionals, and with a focus on nutraceutical science. Subscribe on?YouTube,?Spotify,?Apple Podcasts,?iHeart?and/or your preferred podcast platforms to get the latest episodes. Also, please be sure to subscribe to?Vitamin Retailer?Industry Partner Offers & Announcements?to receive new podcast notifications via email.?

References

[1] Tan J, Zhu R, Li Y, et al. Vitamin K2 in Managing Nocturnal Leg Cramps: A Randomized Clinical Trial.?JAMA Intern Med. 2024;184(12):1443-1447. doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2024.5726

[2] Shanmugasundaram D, Dwan C, Wimmer BC, Srivastava S. Fucoidan Ameliorates Testosterone-Induced Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH) in Rats.?Res Rep Urol. 2024;16:283-297. Published 2024 Oct 30. doi:10.2147/RRU.S478740.

[3] Alharran AM, Alzayed MM, Jamilian P, Prabahar K, Kamal AH, Alotaibi MN, Elshaer OE, Alhatm M, Masmoum MD, Hernández-Wolters B, Sindi R, Kord-Varkaneh H, Abu-Zaid A. Impact of Magnesium Supplementation on Blood Pressure: An Umbrella Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials. Curr Ther Res Clin Exp. 2024 Jul 31;101:100755. doi: 10.1016/j.curtheres.2024.100755. PMID: 39280209; PMCID: PMC11401110.