Patients with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) are susceptible to several comorbidities including depression. In a recent clinical study, it was found that vitamin K2 in the form of menaquinone-7 was able to significantly improve PCOS patients’ depression status compared to placebo.
 
PCOS affects approximately 9-18% of women of reproductive age. While the root cause of PCOS is not fully understood, previous research has found that insulin sensitivity can ameliorate some of its symptoms. Recent research has also found that vitamin K2 has some activity which may improve insulin sensitivity. So, researchers in the present study sought to determine whether vitamin K2’s insulin-regulating activity would confer benefits to PCOS-related depressive symptoms.
 
In the present study, appearing in BMC Women’s Health, 84 women with PCOS were enrolled to receive either a placebo capsule or one containing 90 nanograms per day of menaquinone-7 for eight weeks. Both before and after the intervention, researchers measured the depression status of the participants through the BECK depression inventory-II. Compared to placebo, the women who took vitamin K2 saw significant improvements in their depression status scores.
 
Specifically, the depression status scores of the vitamin K2 group decreased from an average of 16.9 to an average of 14.975, while the scores of those in the placebo-administered arm increased from 13.78 to 14.02.
 
“To our knowledge, this clinical study is the first trial that has investigated the effect of vitamin K on depression status in PCOS patients,” the authors wrote. “The findings of this trial reported that an eight-week administration of MK-7 significantly improved depression status in PCOS women.”
 
While this study was observational in nature, the authors noted that research has previously linked factors such as inflammation and neurotransmitter dysfunction to depression pathogenesis.
 
“The NF-KB pathway can be regulated by vitamin K, as an anti-inflammatory agent, which can suppress the expression of inflammatory cytokines,” the authors wrote. “Moreover, a lack of vitamin K in the brain can increase ceramides; as the concentration of brain ceramides increases, inflammatory cytokines […] production can be increased.”
 
Further, several studies have shown that vitamin K can enhance nerve growth factor, which is inversely associated with depressive behaviors, the authors noted.
 
“This clinical study reported the possible anti-depressant effect of vitamin K2 in PCOS women for the first time,” the authors wrote. “However, additional clinical studies with longer intervention periods and larger sample sizes should be performed to confirm the anti-depressant effect of vitamin K in PCOS women.”