A Pilot Study of Vitamin K2 (Menaquinone-7, Soloways ™) in Patients With Osteopenia/Osteoporosis Carrying a VDR Gene Variant
This pilot, genotype-stratified clinical trial aims to evaluate the safety and preliminary efficacy of vitamin K2 (menaquinone-7, MK-7) supplementation in patients with low bone mineral density (osteopenia or osteoporosis) who carry a specific unfavorable variant in the vitamin D receptor (VDR) gene (e.g., BsmI or ApaI polymorphisms). The trial will compare improvements in bone health and related biomarkers between two cohorts: (1) homozygous carriers of the VDR variant and (2) non-variant carriers (wild-type). Investigators hypothesize that MK-7 supplementation will lead to greater improvements in bone mineral density (BMD) and bone turnover markers in the homozygous variant group due to their potentially reduced baseline response to vitamin D signaling.
• Adults aged 40-75 years with a confirmed DXA-based diagnosis of osteopenia or osteoporosis (T-score ≤ -1.0).
• Stable dietary habits and willingness to maintain current exercise regimen throughout the study.
• Willingness to undergo genotyping for the VDR variant. For the VDR Variant Cohort: confirmed homozygous unfavorable variant (e.g., BsmI or ApaI).
• For the Non-Variant Cohort: confirmed absence of the unfavorable allele (wild-type).