News
Vitamin A supplementation can prevent certain childhood diseases and even death
1 December 2010
According to a new review, giving vitamin A capsules to children with vitamin A deficiency can reduce the overall risk of death by 24%.
01 July 2013
According to a new US study low blood vitamin K1 concentrations may increase the progression of arterial calcification in people with high blood pressure who take anti-hypertensive medications.
In the observational study, blood vitamin K1 concentrations from 296 participants with extreme coronary artery calcium (CAC) progression and from 561 healthy controls were measured (1). The participants had different ethnicities (non-Hispanic white, African American, Hispanic and Chinese American). The study results showed that, in general, people with extreme CAC progression were 34% more likely to have low vitamin K1 levels compared with people without extreme CAC progression, which was not statistically significant. However, a significant association between low vitamin K1 levels and increased arterial calcification was observed in participants taking anti-hypertension medication.
The researchers commented that these results may have big implications for public health as 20% of the adults in the US are treated for hypertension, and about half of all US adults may have a low vitamin K status. Intervention trials are needed to determine whether improving serum vitamin K1 reduces CAC progression, especially in hypertensives. Coronary artery calcification is a common manifestation of cardiovascular disease. CAC progression has been shown to better predict future fatal and nonfatal cardiac events (2). A preventive role for vitamin K against CAC progression has been proposed on the basis of its role in activating the matrix gla protein (MGP), which is a calcification inhibitor in vascular tissue (3). In addition to MGP, other vitamin K–dependent proteins in cardiovascular tissue, such as the gla-rich protein, may also influence atherosclerosis progression (4).
1 December 2010
According to a new review, giving vitamin A capsules to children with vitamin A deficiency can reduce the overall risk of death by 24%.
1 November 2012
According to a new UK study, insufficient blood vitamin D concentrations may be detrimental to musculoskeletal performance in athletes.
15 August 2014
While human milk is the preferred source of most nutrients for infants during the first year, there has been concern about the adequacy of human milk in providing vitamin D.