Vitamin K₂ reduces dreaded nighttime leg cramps in clinical trial

By Free Republic | Created at 2024-11-02 04:04:14 | Updated at 2024-11-05 23:17:44 3 days ago

Vitamin K₂ reduces dreaded nighttime leg cramps in clinical trial
Medical Xpress / JAMA Internal Medicine ^ | Oct. 31, 2024 | Justin Jackson / Jing Tan et al

Posted on 11/01/2024 8:30:56 PM PDT by ConservativeMind

Researchers found that vitamin K2 supplementation reduces the frequency, intensity, and duration of nocturnal leg cramps (NLCs) in older individuals.

Approximately 50% to 60% of adults experience NLCs (sometimes referred to as a Charley horse) in their lifetime. There are no medical treatments without a substantial list of unpleasant side effects.

The multicenter, double-blind, placebo-controlled randomized clinical trial enrolled 199 individuals aged 65 years and older (mean age 72.3) who experienced two or more documented episodes of NLCs during a two-week screening period. Participants were randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to receive either vitamin K2 (menaquinone 7), 180 μg, or a placebo capsule daily for eight weeks.

The study's primary outcome was the mean number of NLCs per week between the vitamin K2 and placebo groups.

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.

At baseline, the mean number of NLCs per week was comparable in both groups, with 2.60 cramps in the vitamin K2 group and 2.71 in the placebo group.

During the eight-week intervention, the vitamin K2 group experienced a reduction in the mean weekly frequency of cramps to 0.96. In contrast, the placebo group maintained a mean weekly frequency of cramps at 3.63. A difference of 2.67 fewer cramps per week between the groups was statistically significant, and the trend was visible in just the first week.

The vitamin K2 group also significantly reduced NLC severity, with a mean decrease of 2.55 points compared to 1.24 points in the placebo group. The duration of NLCs decreased by a mean of 0.90 minutes in the vitamin K2 group, compared to 0.32 minutes in the placebo group. No adverse events related to vitamin K2 use were identified.

(Excerpt) Read more at medicalxpress.com ...

TOPICS: Health/Medicine
KEYWORDS: cramps; legcramps; nightlegcramps; vitamink; vitamink2; vitamink2mk7

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They used vitamin K2 MK-7, 180 μg, and it reduced cramping by 2/3 over eight weeks of use.

To: Mazey; ckilmer; goodnesswins; Jane Long; BusterDog; jy8z; ProtectOurFreedom; matthew fuller; ...

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2 posted on 11/01/2024 8:31:37 PM PDT by ConservativeMind (Trump: Befuddling Democrats, Republicans, and the Media for the benefit of the US and all mankind.)

To: ConservativeMind

We were told to keep tracing the sign of the cross over it and it would go away. Worked every time.

3 posted on 11/01/2024 8:34:38 PM PDT by P.O.E. (Pray for America.)

To: ConservativeMind

4 posted on 11/01/2024 8:56:43 PM PDT by Entropy Squared (The Rush to Chaos)

To: ConservativeMind

I suffer from them relentlessly. I also take K2. I guess they could be worse
That’s hard to imagine.

5 posted on 11/01/2024 9:01:26 PM PDT by AuntB (Trump is our Ben Franklin - Brilliant, Boisterous, Brave and ALL AMERICAN!)

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