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Has anyone seen a reduction in their CAC score from taking vitamin K2?

Posted by hikerguy62 @hikerguy62, Mar 31, 2023

I was told earlier this week that my CAC score is 2534. I considered myself to be a very healthy 60 year old male. I've never drank or smoked, always maintained my weight right around 155 lbs. (at 5'7"), hiked all my life (and still hike, but not as much or as far). I ate primarily chicken, pork and salmon the last 8-10 years (VERY rarely red meat) and no family history of heart disease except an uncle who had a heart attack (and was a heavy smoker until that wake-up call) and my dad who passed away from a heart attack at 84. So to say I was shocked when my doctor called and told me the score is a big understatement.

I've been doing a LOT of research on CAC scores since I got my results this past Tuesday. It's been a roller coaster of emotion because one article gives you hope, then another takes you back down lol

I've started on K2 (in addition to the D3 I started about 3 weeks ago).

I'd love to hear from anyone who's been on K2 (and especially the MK-7 "variety" of K2) who has seen improvement in their score.

Thanks!

Andy

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Profile picture for nhartwig
nhartwig | @nhartwig | 1 day ago

That is interesting hikerguy. I too, had concerns about the CAC score. My research indicated that the K2 MK 7 does transport calcium in tissues back to bone where it belongs. My CAC score from 2024 was:
The Smartscore calculation is 5429.
The left main coronary artery score is 263.
The LAD score is 1320.
The circumflex score is 37.4.
The right coronary artery score is 3706.
The PDA score is 0. Other: 103
I started 90 mg of K2 MK7 twice a day (180mg) per day.

One year later my CAC score was:
The Smartscore calculation is 4962.
The left main coronary artery score is 298.
The LAD score is 1568.
The circumflex score is 36.8.
The right coronary artery score is 3006.
The PDA score is 0. Other: 53.3

Some arteries calcium increased and others decreased in a year's time. Both scans were performed at the same hospital, same scanner and scored by the same doctor.
I'm planning on another CAC scan this fall keeping to a once per year schedule.
It should be noted that there are two types of calcium, a soft calcium aka plaque inside the artery wall and a hard calcium within the artery wall that cause stiffness to the artery. The K2 MK 7 appears to work on the hard calcium juding from my scores. But scores can still go up and down. I think the K2 MK 7 works of the soft calcium too but the CAC scores do not reflect the soft calcium.
If I remember this fall I'll post my CAC scores for 2026, by the way my chlorestorel scores send my cardiologist into heaven. Perfect he says. LOL Good luck.

REPLY
2 replies
Profile picture for 19281928
19281928 | @19281928 | 6 hours ago
In reply to @nhartwig "That is interesting hikerguy. I too, had concerns about the CAC score. My research indicated that..." + (show)
Profile picture for nhartwig @nhartwig

That is interesting hikerguy. I too, had concerns about the CAC score. My research indicated that the K2 MK 7 does transport calcium in tissues back to bone where it belongs. My CAC score from 2024 was:
The Smartscore calculation is 5429.
The left main coronary artery score is 263.
The LAD score is 1320.
The circumflex score is 37.4.
The right coronary artery score is 3706.
The PDA score is 0. Other: 103
I started 90 mg of K2 MK7 twice a day (180mg) per day.

One year later my CAC score was:
The Smartscore calculation is 4962.
The left main coronary artery score is 298.
The LAD score is 1568.
The circumflex score is 36.8.
The right coronary artery score is 3006.
The PDA score is 0. Other: 53.3

Some arteries calcium increased and others decreased in a year's time. Both scans were performed at the same hospital, same scanner and scored by the same doctor.
I'm planning on another CAC scan this fall keeping to a once per year schedule.
It should be noted that there are two types of calcium, a soft calcium aka plaque inside the artery wall and a hard calcium within the artery wall that cause stiffness to the artery. The K2 MK 7 appears to work on the hard calcium juding from my scores. But scores can still go up and down. I think the K2 MK 7 works of the soft calcium too but the CAC scores do not reflect the soft calcium.
If I remember this fall I'll post my CAC scores for 2026, by the way my chlorestorel scores send my cardiologist into heaven. Perfect he says. LOL Good luck.

Jump to this post

@nhartwig my cardiologists say a cac score only needs to be done once . he doesn't see a point in repeating because it won't change your treatment and usually only causes more anxiety.

REPLY
Profile picture for njx58
njx58 | @njx58 | 5 hours ago
In reply to @nhartwig "That is interesting hikerguy. I too, had concerns about the CAC score. My research indicated that..." + (show)
Profile picture for nhartwig @nhartwig

That is interesting hikerguy. I too, had concerns about the CAC score. My research indicated that the K2 MK 7 does transport calcium in tissues back to bone where it belongs. My CAC score from 2024 was:
The Smartscore calculation is 5429.
The left main coronary artery score is 263.
The LAD score is 1320.
The circumflex score is 37.4.
The right coronary artery score is 3706.
The PDA score is 0. Other: 103
I started 90 mg of K2 MK7 twice a day (180mg) per day.

One year later my CAC score was:
The Smartscore calculation is 4962.
The left main coronary artery score is 298.
The LAD score is 1568.
The circumflex score is 36.8.
The right coronary artery score is 3006.
The PDA score is 0. Other: 53.3

Some arteries calcium increased and others decreased in a year's time. Both scans were performed at the same hospital, same scanner and scored by the same doctor.
I'm planning on another CAC scan this fall keeping to a once per year schedule.
It should be noted that there are two types of calcium, a soft calcium aka plaque inside the artery wall and a hard calcium within the artery wall that cause stiffness to the artery. The K2 MK 7 appears to work on the hard calcium juding from my scores. But scores can still go up and down. I think the K2 MK 7 works of the soft calcium too but the CAC scores do not reflect the soft calcium.
If I remember this fall I'll post my CAC scores for 2026, by the way my chlorestorel scores send my cardiologist into heaven. Perfect he says. LOL Good luck.

Jump to this post

@nhartwig Honestly, you are wasting your time. Your score is always going to be high. Your LAD score (the "widowmaker") actually got worse. Taking a vitamin isn't going to make a difference. Just keep taking your statin and watching your diet.

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