Xsto, Kappa Develop New Vitamin K Testing Method

MORRISTOWN, N.J.Xsto Solutions and Kappa Bioscience developed a new testing method for measuring trans versus cis isomers in K2 MK-7, a form of vitamin K that benefits bone health and heart health, and protects arteries against calcification.

Quality testing of K2 MK-7 is crucial because while the trans and cis are absorbed into the blood, K2 MK-7 as found in nature is 100-percent trans. As with K2 and other nutritional ingredients with trans and cis isomers, the trans form is biologically active, while the cis isomer is not. Xsto and Kappa created the new testing method following the growing collection of science on how the body uses K2 MK-7, which is the preferred vitamin K because of its long half-life in the body and strong base of clinical support.

"The market is saturated with K2 MK-7 products that have such an extremely low trans count, making them essentially useless to the consumer," said Xsto president Francis Foley. "We want to offer the market a way of quantifying the K2 MK-7 product they are buying so that the end user receives the benefit of supplementation."

A recent study on vitamin K2 also indicates supplementation can improve bone strength and protect against cardiovascular aging.