Vitamin K2 Supplementation Improve Impaired Glycemic Homeostasis and Insulin Sensitivity for Type 2 Diabetes through Gut Microbiome and Fecal Metabolites

There is insufficient evidence for the ability of vitamin K2 to improve type 2 diabetes mellitus symptoms by regulating gut microbial composition. Here, we demonstrated that improved glycemic homeostasis and insulin sensitivity were closely correlated with changes in the gut microbiota and its metabolites following intervention with MK-7 (a natural form of vitamin K2 with a longer half-life). After MK-7 intervention, the microbiota exhibited increased biosynthesis of gut short-chain fatty acids, secondary bile acids, and circulating glucagon-like peptide-1 and ameliorated inflammatory immune responses in liver, colon and pancreas tissues. After fecal microbial transplantation with the MK-7-regulated gut microbiota, the improvement in impaired glucose metabolism in obese mice was comparable to that after transplantation of the gut microbiota from lean donors. These findings highlight the benefits of vitamin K2 supplementation in diabetic patients, revealing novel gut-dependent effects of MK-7 on glycemic homeostasis and benefits for both the host and the microbiota.