Dietary Intake of Vitamin K Reduces Mortality and Improves Health

2014-08-06 12:06:08

Vitamin K is a vitamin typically associated with the ability of blood to clot. It also plays a role in bone health. A recent study looked at the association of dietary intake of different types of vitamin K and mortality, in a Mediterranean population at high cardiovascular risk (1). This study had over 7000 participants from the PREDIMED study (a larger study looking at various factors) and they were followed-up for almost 5 years. Energy and nutrient intakes were evaluated using a validated 137-item food frequency questionnaire. Dietary vitamin K intake was calculated annually using the USDA food composition database and other published sources.

Energy-adjusted baseline dietary phylloquinone (a form of vitamin K) intake was inversely associated with a significantly reduced risk of cancer and all-cause mortality after controlling for potential confounders. In more assessments, individuals who increased their intake of phylloquinone or menaquinone (another form of vitamin K) during follow-up had a lower risk of cancer and all-cause mortality (by 33%) than individuals who decreased or did not change their intake. Also, individuals who increased their intake of dietary phylloquinone had a lower risk of cardiovascular mortality risk. This study shows that an increase in dietary intake of vitamin K is associated with a reduced risk of cardiovascular, cancer, or all-cause mortality in a Mediterranean population at high cardiovascular disease risk.