Loading...
 
Toggle Health Problems and D

The health benefits of vitamin K – Oct 2015

Open Heart 2015;2: doi:10.1136/openhrt-2015-000300
James J DiNicolantonio1, Jaikrit Bhutani2 and James H O'Keefe1
1Mid America Heart Institute at Saint Luke's Hospital, Kansas City, Missouri, USA
2Pt. BD Sharma Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences, Rohtak, Haryana, India
Correspondence to: Dr James J DiNicolantonio; jjdinicol at gmail.com

Vitamin K has important functions within the body, some of which are still being discovered. Research has shown that vitamin K is an anticalcification, anticancer, bone-forming and insulin-sensitising molecule. Recent data indicate that subclinical vitamin K deficiency is not uncommon. Additionally, vitamin K antagonists such as warfarin may cause detrimental side effects, which may partly be blunted through vitamin K supplementation.

 Download the PDF from Vitamin D Life

The health benefits of vitamin K (taken from box 1 in the PDF)

Bone health

May help to prevent fractures due to osteopenia and osteoporosis18–20
Trial evidence

  • Vitamin K1 (5 mg daily) given to 440 postmenopausal women with osteopenia for 2 years in a randomised, placebo-controlled, double-blind trial caused a greater than 50% reduction in clinical fractures (9 vs 20, p=0.04) versus placebo.
  • A recent meta-analysis has shown that vitamin K2 (45 mg/day) significantly reduces hip (77% reduction), vertebral (60% reduction) and all non-vertebral fractures (81% reduction).20

Cancer (especially liver cancer)

May help to prevent liver cancer and death in patients with liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC)54–61
Trial evidence

  • Five randomised controlled trials tested vitamin K2 (45 or 90 mg/day) in patients with HCC. Vitamin K2 significantly improved 1-year overall survival, (RR=1.03, 95% CI 1.00 to 1.05, p=0.03)74

Vascular calcifications

May help to prevent vascular calcifications (especially in patients on warfarin) 5 26 75
Trial evidence

  • Significantly delayed the development of coronary artery calcium in a 3-year, double-blind, randomised controlled trial of 452 patients.
  • In a 3-year, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, vitamin K1 (along with vitamin D) significantly delayed the deterioration of arterial elasticity37 in 181 postmenopausal women. This was not found with vitamin D alone.

Coronary heart disease (CHD)

May reduce the risk of CHD, CHD mortality and all-cause mortality 5 26 76

Insulin sensitivity

  • May help improve insulin sensitivity 40
  • Warfarin international normalised ratio (INR)
  • May help to stabilise INR in patients on warfarin 45

See also Vitamin D Life

Pages listed in BOTH the categories Vitamin K and Cardiovascular

Pages listed in BOTH the categories Vitamin K and Calcium

Pages listed in BOTH the categories Vitamin K and Bone

Pages listed in BOTH the categories Vitamin K and Liver

The health benefits of vitamin K – Oct 2015        
6847 visitors, last modified 02 Oct, 2019,
Printer Friendly Follow this page for updates

Attached files

ID Name Comment Uploaded Size Downloads
6024 Heart Vitamin K.pdf admin 07 Oct, 2015 562.33 Kb 1043