Clinical Study Using Natural Inc.'s Natto K2 Branded Vitamin K2 Ingredient Yields Positive Results Compared with Natto Food.

Business Editors/Health/Medical Writers

VERNON HILLS, Ill.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 21, 2003

A clinical study conducted by Cees Vermeer, Ph.D., at the University of Maastricht, the Netherlands, comparing supplemental natto extract with fermented natto soyfood has shown that the supplemental natto extract provides an identical absorption profile resulting in identical serum levels of vitamin K2. Natural Inc., a leading provider of clinically substantiated branded ingredients for the dietary supplement market, has announced that the natto supplement used in the clinical study is its exclusive Natto K2(TM).

Natto K2 is a newly available proprietary extract of natto that provides the highly bioavailable form of vitamin K2 as menaquinone MK-7. Natto, a traditional Japanese food that is fermented from soybeans, has been linked to significantly higher bone mineral density and fewer osteoporotic fractures. Additionally, as many proteins generally associated with bone and cartilage have been identified in calcifying arterial vessel walls, vitamin K2 has been identified as a potent inhibitor of vascular calcification.

According to lead researcher Dr. Vermeer, "What is exciting about this clinical study is that it demonstrated identical absorption from supplemental natto extract in capsule form as it did in natto food. Now people can derive the health benefits of this traditional Japanese food in a convenient and bioavailable form."

The study showed that the vitamin K2 as MK-7 in supplemental natto was readily and easily absorbed, and of the same magnitude as that from natto food. Plus, the study revealed the long half-life of MK-7 in the circulation may result in a relatively constant plasma level, in contrast to vitamins K1 and synthetic vitamin k2, which show a typical "peak and valley" pattern even if taken twice daily.

Natto, with its high Vitamin K2 content, has an extensive amount of research supporting its benefits for promoting healthy bone density and staving off osteoporosis, in addition to warding off a number of other maladies, including cardiovascular disease. This unique branded ingredient is sure to revolutionize the market for bone health and heart health supplements, and is now available to U.S. dietary supplement manufacturing and marketing partners as an encapsulated product.

In Japan, vitamin K2 is used as a therapeutic treatment for osteoporosis and in the Caucasian population it also has shown a significant benefit in the reduction of heart disease, due to its roles in calcium utilization and promoting matrix Gla-protein activity, a potent inhibitor of vascular calcification. For example, in the Rotterdam Study, with more than 4,000 participants, those with the highest K2 consumption had 50 percent fewer heart attacks, 50 percent fewer CV-related deaths and 25 percent fewer deaths overall.

Natto K2(TM) is available exclusively from Natural Inc. and the Vitamin K2 content can be delivered to specification. For more information, please contact us at 847-362-2226, ext 17.

Natural Inc. is a leader in the development of scientifically based ingredients for the worldwide nutrition industry. Natural Inc. exclusively markets and promotes specialized branded ingredients, including Natto K2(TM), to the dietary supplement industry.