Vitamin K - Good for the Heart and Mind
Sunday, October 22nd, 2006A large recent study looked at how vitamin K intake might affect cardiovascular disease and stroke in men. The study found that risk of cardiovascular disease and stroke fell by as much as 18 percent in individuals consuming higher levels of vitamin K.
The results did not remain significant after adjusting for lifestyle and other dietary factors. In other words, it wasn’t clear whether the risk declined because of the vitamin K intake or just as a result of healthier living.
Yet, there are good scientific reasons to believe that vitamin K is important in helping to maintain vascular health. Specifically, vitamin K helps the body to keep calcium in the bones and teeth, where most of it belongs, thus helping to reduce the calcification of soft tissues, such as blood vessels. The exact mechanism is not known, but it is thought to be related to a protein (MGP - Matrix Gla Protein), which inhibits calcification and is vitamin K dependent.
A 2004 study found that higher vitamin K2* dietary intake was associated with reduced cardiovascular mortality, overall mortality, and aortic calcification.
* There are three different forms of vitamin K:
- K1 (phylloquinone) - found primarily in plants (esp. leafy greens)
- K2 (menaquinone) - found in animal products and synthesized in the GI tract (produced by micro-organisms)
- K3 - synthetic
Vitamin K1 is the predominant form of the vitamin in the diet and is primarily found in green vegetables, including spinach, broccoli, chard, kale, parsley, etc.
Deficiency is common:
- Many people don’t eat foods high in vitamin K regularly or in adequate quantities, and thus don’t get enough of the vitamin.
- With age, the GI tract tends to become less efficient at producing the K2 form of the vitamin.
- Antibiotic use can interfere with the production of vitamin K2 in the GI tract.
Bottom line:
Supplementation with vitamin K containing the K1 and K2 forms can help to fill the gap and may help to reduce the risk for blood vessel calcification associated with heart disease and stroke.
Two important notes:
Vitamin K is fat-soluble. It needs to be eaten with a meal containing fat for proper absorption.
Vitamin K also affects blood clotting. People taking blood thinning drugs need to talk with their physician before supplementing, as increasing vitamin K intake may change the necessary prescription.
