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Study Reveals Vitamin K Levels
Affect Bone Density in Children
December 20 , 2008
A study published in the journal of Clinical and Experimental Rheumatology performed at the Department of Paediatric Immunology at the University Medical Centre Utrecht located in the Netherlands, revealed a correlation between low levels of osteocalcin and an increased risk of low bone mass in children. Osteocalcin is calcium-binding protein in bone, essential for the normal mineralization of bone. Vitamin K is required for the body to produce osteocalcin and low levels indicate that there is a low level of vitamin K.
Children’s Study
To determine the effect of vitamin K, bone-markers such as ultra-sound
bone mass measurements were taken and the level of vitamin K was measured
between two groups of children. One group consisted of 54 healthy children
as a control, and a second group of 53 children with juvenile idiopathic
arthritis (JLA). Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA), formerly known
as juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, is the most common form of persistent
arthritis in children. It is referred to as idiopathic as its cause
is unknown or obscure. All of the children were between 6 to 18 years
old.
Results of the Study
The study revealed that the children with the higher levels of vitamin
K, regardless of whether they had juvenile idiopathic arthritis or were
healthy, also had higher bone properties, indicating better bone mass
and healthier bone structures.
Improved Vitamin K
Status for Healthier Bones
Leon Schurgers, an author of the study states, “These findings suggest
that improvement in vitamin K status, and thus the amount of active
osteocalcin, might significantly improve bone health in children, even
those with arthritis.” He further states that, “in adults low density
and increased fracture risk are associate with low vitamin K status
in bone.”
Vitamin K Supplement
to Promote Human Health in Children and Adults
Schurgers further states, “The Western diet is insufficient in K vitamins
for bone and cardiovascular health” and “supplementing the diet with
natural vitamin K as menaquinone-7,
either in food enrichment or dietary supplements, seems to be the obvious
solution to promote human health.”
Vitamin
K Facts |
Vitamin K1
Vitamin K1, also known as phylloquinone, is found in green leafy plants
such as spinach, lettuce, broccoli, brussels sprouts, and cabbage containing
about 8 mg of vitamin K1 per kg. A portion of the body's vitamin K-1
is supplied by bacteria living in the intestine rather than by dietary
sources. While K1 is fairly abundant in green leafy vegetables it is
difficult to absorb as it is tightly bound to the chlorophyll. Absorption
deceases even further as people as age. Vitamin K1 supplements have
been found to be better absorbed, especially when taken with meals.
Vitamin K-2
Vitamin K2, also known as menaquinone, is found in meat, eggs, and dairy
products and also made by bacteria in the human gut, which provides
a certain amount of the human vitamin K requirement. VITAMIN
K-2 from Source Naturals is made from natto bacterium, which contains
a highly potent vitamin K-2. Human studies show that vitamin K2 is absorbed
up to ten times more than K1. Vitamin K2 remains biologically active
in the body much longer than K1. Where K1 is rapidly cleared by the
liver within eight hours, measurable levels of K2 have been detected
72 hours after ingestion.
Healthy Blood Flow,
Healthy Bones
Vitamin K is essential for healthy bone formation and repair; it is
involved in the synthesis of osteocalcin, the protein in bone tissue
upon which calcium crystallizes. As Vitamin K helps build bones, it
also inhibits calcification of the blood vessels. This "calcium
transport" function thereby removes calcium deposits from the vessels
where they aren't needed, and working in conjunction with vitamin D,
increases calcium deposits in the bones, where calcium is needed most.
Results of Vitamin
K2 Study On Cardiovascular Health
In the Rotterdam Heart Study 4,800 people were tracked for seven years.
This study showed that the individuals who had the highest concentrations
of vitamin K2 in their diet had better overall cardiovascular health
than those who ingested the least. This is due in part to less calcium
being deposited in the aorta promoting healthier blood flow to the heart.
Those with lower concentrations of K2 were more likely to develop moderate
or severe calcification. Studies performed with animals suggest that
vitamin K can prevent further accumulation of calcium in the blood vessels
and assist with its removal.
Vitamin K Supports
Conversion
Vitamin K also plays an important role in the intestines, helping to
convert glucose into glycogen for storage in the liver.
References
Vermeer C et al. 2003. AgroFood Industry17-20.
Geleijnse J et al. 2004. / Nutr Epidemiology 134:3100-3105.
Brody, T. 1994. Nutritional Biochemistry. New York, Academic Press.
Binldey N et al. 2002. American Journal Clinical Nutrition 76:1055-60.
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