04 May 2009
Supplements of vitamin K 1 may slow hardening of the arteries in people already suffering from the condition.
In a U.S. randomized controlled trial, older men and women receiving a daily 500 micrograms vitamin K1 (phylloquinone) plus multivitamin supplement experienced six per cent less progression of coronary artery calcification (CAC), or hardening of the arteries that leads to atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease, than people receiving only the multivitamin (1).
The researchers said that the benefits were independent of changes in levels of a protein called ‘matrix Gla protein (MGP)’, the most powerful inhibitor of soft tissue calcification presently known. MGP needs vitamin K to be active in that way. Vessel walls depend on MGP to defend themselves against calcification.
The protective role of vitamin K is still uncertain. Larger studies in other populations are needed to confirm these findings, and to assess the risks and benefits of vitamin K supplementation on cardiovascular diseases.
20 October 2011
A recently published study puts forward the hypothesis that older women who take dietary supplements have a higher risk of death.
1 December 2014
Optimizing vision throughout the lifespan is a public health priority worldwide, not only because of its central importance to quality of life, but also because of the health care costs associated with the loss of vision in an aging population. Oxidative stress is thought to be a key pathogenic mechanism of compromised vision, and the antioxidant properties of some nutrients show the capacity to modulate disease conditions linked to oxidative stress. Considerable evidence has accumulated showing that vitamins A, C, E, beta-carotene and zinc help support vision and may be protective against the development or progression of some common – especially age-related – eye diseases such as age-related macular degeneration and cataracts. In addition, increased intakes of the carotenoids lutein and zeaxanthin and the omega-3 fatty acid docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) – all concentrated in the eye – have been associated consistently with lower likelihood of sight-threatening conditions. There has also been some promising research with B vitamins in age-related eye diseases and with vitamin A and DHA in the rare disease retinitis pigmentosa (see also Key nutrients for healthy vision).
1 July 2014
It has long been known that vitamin K, which is involved as a coenzyme in the production of coagulation factors, is essential to the regulation of blood coagulation. But vitamin K also fulfils an important role in the activation of certain enzymes which, together with vitamin D, regulate metabolism and can combat the hardening of soft tissues such as blood vessels and help slow bone demineralization. In recent years interest in this vitamin has grown considerably following the discovery of other potentially health-promoting properties. Attention centers on research into the function of vitamin-K-dependent enzymes (Gla proteins), which are found in bones and teeth as well as in blood vessel linings, the brain and other soft tissues, where they appear to regulate cell division and cell differentiation, among other things. Studies indicate that a sufficient intake of vitamin K could help prevent the occurrence of atherosclerosis, osteoporosis, insulin resistance and inflammation of the joints, and above all could protect against the age-related loss of cognitive abilities.
