Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Anti-Aging
Vitamin K2 Benefits Heart Health
By Greg Arnold, DC, CSCS, September 11, 2008, abstracted from “High dietary menaquinone intake is associated with reduced coronary calcification” printed online ahead of print in Atherosclerosis
Vitamin K is stored in fat in the body (called “fat-soluble) and occurs in two forms: vitamin K1 and K2. Vitamin K1 (also called phylloquinone) is present in green, leafy vegetables and certain vegetable oils1. Vitamin K2 (also called menaquinone) is found in animal products like meat, eggs, and cheese2. Although it is known most commonly for its importance in blood clotting3, vitamin K has also showed benefits for joint health4 and maintaining a healthy inflammatory response5.
Now a new study6 has found that vitamin K may benefit heart health. Cardiovascular disease (CVD) affects nearly 81 million Americans7 and is estimated to cost our healthcare system $448.5 billion in 2008, according to the American Heart Association8.
Previous research has suggested that vitamin K deficiency contributes to cardiovascular disease(9, 10). Building on these findings, researchers analyzed data on 564 healthy post-menopausal women from the PROSPECT study11. They completed a food frequency questionnaire on their daily consumption of 178 foods12 and provided blood samples that researchers used to measure total/HDL/LDL cholesterol, blood sugar and triglycerides. Finally, the patients underwent a multi-detector computed tomography (MDCT) test to measure calcification of the coronary arteries that produced an Agatston score13 as a measure of calcification.
While there was no association between vitamin K1 and coronary artery calcification, those with the highest K2 intakes (48.5 micrograms per day) had a 20% reduced risk of coronary calcification versus those with the lowest intake of vitamin K2 (18 micrograms per day). Agatston scores for the highest vitamin K2 intake averaged 2.1 (indicating a minimal risk for CVD) while those with the lowest intakes of K2 averaged 14, indicating a moderate risk for CVD14.
For the researchers, “this study shows that high intake of [vitamin K2]…is associated with reduced coronary calcification” and that “adequate intakes of [vitamin K2] could therefore be important for the prevention of cardiovascular disease.”
Greg Arnold is a Chiropractic Physician practicing in Danville, CA. You can contact Dr. Arnold directly by emailing him at mailto:PitchingDoc@msn.com or visiting his web site at www.CompleteChiropracticHealthcare.com
Reference:
1 C. Bolton-Smith, R.J. Price, S.T. Fenton, D.J. Harrington and M.J. Shearer, Compilation of a provisional UK database for the phylloquinone (vitamin K1) content of foods, Br J Nutr 83 (2000), pp. 389–399
2 L.J. Schurgers and C. Vermeer, Determination of phylloquinone and menaquinones in food. Effect of food matrix on circulating vitamin K concentrations, Haemostasis 30 (2000), pp. 298–307
3 E.C. Cranenburg, L.J. Schurgers and C. Vermeer, Vitamin K: the coagulation vitamin that became omnipotent, Thromb Haemost 98 (2007), pp. 120–125
4 Neogi T. Low vitamin K status is associated with osteoarthritis in the hand and knee. Pediatrics 2006; 54(4): 1255-1261
5 Shea MK. Vitamin K and Vitamin D Status: Associations with Inflammatory Markers in the Framingham Offspring Study. American Journal of Epidemiology 167 no3 313-20 F 1 2008
6 Beulens JWJ. High dietary menaquinone intake is associated with reduced coronary calcification. Atherosclerosis 2008. In Press, Corrected Proof, Available online 19 July 2008
7 “Cardiovascular Disease Statistics” posted on www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=4478
8 “Cardiovascular Disease Cost” posted on www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=4475
9 Furie B. Vitamin K-dependent biosynthesis of gamma-carboxyglutamic acid, Blood 93 (1999), pp. 1798–1808. H.M. Spronk, B.A. Soute and L.J.
10 Schurgers et al., Matrix Gla protein accumulates at the border of regions of calcification and normal tissue in the media of the arterial vessel wall, Biochem Biophys Res Commun 289 (2001), pp. 485–490
11 Sabour, A. Franx and A. Rutten et al., High blood pressure in pregnancy and coronary calcification, Hypertension 49 (2007), pp. 813–817
12 M.C. Ocke, H.B. Bueno-de-Mesquita, M.A. Pols, H.A. Smit, W.A. Van Staveren and D. Kromhout, The Dutch EPIC food frequency questionnaire. II. Relative validity and reproducibility for nutrients, Int J Epidemiol 26 (Suppl. 1) (1997), pp. S49–S58
13 A.S. Agatston, W.R. Janowitz, F.J. Hildner, N.R. Zusmer, M. Viamonte Jr. and R. Detrano, Quantification of coronary artery calcium using ultrafast computed tomography, J Am Coll Cardiol 15 (1990), pp. 827–832
14 Hoffman U. Use of New Imaging Techniques to Screen for Coronary Artery Disease. Circulation. 2003;108:e50 www.circ.ahajournals.org/cgi/content/full/108/8/e50