Vitamin K & D Deficiencies Are Independently Associated With COVID-19 Disease Severity
Open Forum Infect Dis. 2021 Jul 29;8(10):ofab408. doi: 10.1093/ofid/ofab408. eCollection 2021 Oct.
Ankita P Desai 1 2 3, Sahera Dirajlal-Fargo 1 2 3, Jared C Durieux 1, Heather Tribout 1, Danielle Labbato 1, Grace A McComsey 1 2 3
Background: We investigated the association of vitamin K and vitamin D with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outcomes.
Methods: Levels of inactive vitamin K-dependent dephosphorylated uncarboxylated matrix Gla protein (dp-ucMGP; marker of vitamin K status) and 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D; vitamin D status) were measured in plasma samples from participants with confirmed acute COVID-19 and were age- and sex-matched to healthy controls. Unadjusted odds ratios and adjusted odds ratios (AORs) with 95% CIs were computed using cumulative logistic regression.
Results: One hundred fifty subjects were included, 100 COVID-19+ and 50 controls. The median age (interquartile range) was 55 (48-63) years, and 50% were females. Thirty-four percent had mild COVID-19 disease, 51% moderate disease, and 15% severe. Dp-ucMGP levels were higher (ie, worse K status) in COVID-19+ vs controls (776.5 ng/mL vs 549.8 ng/mL; P < .0001) with similar 25(OH)D between groups (25.8 vs 21.9 ng/mL; P = .09). Participants who were vitamin D deficient (<20 ng/mL) had the worse vitamin K status (dp-ucMGP >780 ng/mL) and experienced the most severe COVID-19 outcomes. In adjusted models, every 1-unit increase in the log2 dp-ucMGP nearly doubled the odds of acute critical disease or death (AOR, 1.84; 95% CI, 1.01-3.45), and every 1-unit decrease in the natural log 25(OH)D was associated with >3 times the likelihood of severe COVID-19 disease (AOR, 0.29; 95% CI, 0.11-0.67).
Conclusions: Early in acute COVID-19, both vitamin K and vitamin D deficiency were independently associated with worse COVID-19 disease severity, suggesting a potential synergistic interplay between these 2 vitamins in COVID-19.
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Worse COVID-19 if Low K, independent of low or high D
3 Clinical Trials of Vitamin K and COVID-19 as of Oct 2021
1 Canadian trial is using Vitamin D + Vitamin K
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COVID-19 treated by Vitamin D - studies, reports, videos
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Items in both categories Vitamin K and Virus:
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- How vitamins A, B, C, D, E, F (Omega), K fight COVID - Feb 2022
- Nutritional supplementation during COVID hospitalization helped - RCT - Jan 2022
- Vitamin D and a Dr. in Israel - Campbell video and transcript - Dec 11, 2021
- COVID is also associated with low Vitamin K - many studies
- COVID-19 patients are deficient in both Vitamin D and Vitamin K – Oct 2021
- Vitamin K1 or Vitamin K2 may decrease COVID-19 deaths - Feb 2021
- More Vitamin K and fermented food associated with fewer COVID-19 problems
Overview Vitamin K and Vitamin D contains the following summary
Vitamin K2 is similar to D3 in many ways
- Both vitamins were initially confused with its lesser form (D2 ==> D3, K1 ==> K2)
- Both vitamins appear to influence health in large number of ways
- Both vitamins in the body are about 1/10 that of a century ago
Example: Grass-fed beef has a lot more K2, D3, and Magnesium - Need very little of both vitamins: <1 milligram daily
- When Vitamin D3 is increased, it appears that Vitamin K2 should also be increased
- Vitamin K2 understanding and research is about 20 years behind that of Vitamin D3
One of the reasons: No simple blood test for K2 as of Jan 2020
- Note: Vitamin D blocks Vitamins K1, Vitamin A – 2015 - perhaps should not take at the same time
- Note: 100,000 visitors to this 7,000 word page as of Sept 2022
items in BOTH the categories Vitamin K and Cardiovascular
- Vitamin K, cardiovascular health, and stroke - many studies
- Bone loss results in blood vessel plaque if low Vitamin K2, less bone loss if high K2– April 2021
- Cardiovascular Disease prevented by Vitamin K2-4 when enough is used – RCT review Sept 2020
- Calcium Supplementation is OK provided you also take Vitamin K – Feb 2019
- Vitamin K reduces calcification (reported yet again) – Feb 2019
- Vitamin K (across all dose sizes and types) decrease Vascular Stiffness – meta-analysis - Dec 2018
- Vitamin D and Vitamin K together fight CVD Part 1- Pizzorno
- Vitamin K, Cardiovascular and interactions with Vitamin D and Vitamin A – Pizzorno July 2018
- Mortality associated with Vitamin K insufficiency (PREVEND Study) – Nov 2017
- Intracranial arterial calcification in 85 percent of ischemic strokes (Vitamin K and Vitamin D should help) – Oct 2017
- Decalcify Aortic Valve – 3 year trial with 1 mg of Vitamin K and 5,000 IU of Vitamin D – 2021
- Cardiovascular problems reduced by low dose aspirin and perhaps Omega-3 (also Vit K) – Sept 2017
- Athletes maximal cardiac output increased 12 percent with Vitamin K2 – RCT July 2017
- Fast blood flow 6.8 X more likely if high vitamin D AND high vitamin K – Aug 2017
- Low Vitamin K2 is as risky as smoking for heart disease - Oct 2016
- Cardiovascular death: 9 percent due to hypertension or air pollution, 7 percent: low Vitamin K2 or smoking – Oct 2016
- Decreased need for warfarin after Vitamin D levels optimized – RCT May 2016
- Cardiovascular calcification prevented by Omega-3, Magnesium, Vitamin K, and Vitamin D – April 2015
- The health benefits of vitamin K – Oct 2015
- If you must take statins and want to avoid hardening of arteries, take vitamin K2 – RCT May 2015
- Vitamin K2-7 decreases arterial stiffness (cleans arteries) – RCT Feb 2015
- Hypothesis: Vitamin K will reduce prostate blood vessel problems – Jan 2015
- Increased Vitamin K2 reduces the problems of excess Calcium – Nov 2013
- Cholesterol, Vitamins D3 and K2, heart disease, sulfates, LDL, – Masterjohn Interview Jan 2013
- Soft Bones, Hard Arteries, Vitamin D, Vitamin K2 and antibiotics – Sept 2012
- Low Vitamin D and Vitamin K: brittle bones and hardened arteries – LEF Sept 2010