Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2020 Jan 3;12(1):138.
doi: 10.3390/nu12010138.

Vitamin K as a Diet Supplement with Impact in Human Health: Current Evidence in Age-Related Diseases

Dina C Simes  1   2 , Carla S B Viegas  1   2 , Nuna Araújo  1 , Catarina Marreiros  1
Affiliations
Review

Vitamin K as a Diet Supplement with Impact in Human Health: Current Evidence in Age-Related Diseases

Dina C Simes et al. Nutrients. .

Abstract

Vitamin K health benefits have been recently widely shown to extend beyond blood homeostasis and implicated in chronic low-grade inflammatory diseases such as cardiovascular disease, osteoarthritis, dementia, cognitive impairment, mobility disability, and frailty. Novel and more efficient nutritional and therapeutic options are urgently needed to lower the burden and the associated health care costs of these age-related diseases. Naturally occurring vitamin K comprise the phylloquinone (vitamin K1), and a series of menaquinones broadly designated as vitamin K2 that differ in source, absorption rates, tissue distribution, bioavailability, and target activity. Although vitamin K1 and K2 sources are mainly dietary, consumer preference for diet supplements is growing, especially when derived from marine resources. The aim of this review is to update the reader regarding the specific contribution and effect of each K1 and K2 vitamers in human health, identify potential methods for its sustainable and cost-efficient production, and novel natural sources of vitamin K and formulations to improve absorption and bioavailability. This new information will contribute to foster the use of vitamin K as a health-promoting supplement, which meets the increasing consumer demand. Simultaneously, relevant information on the clinical context and direct health consequences of vitamin K deficiency focusing in aging and age-related diseases will be discussed.

Keywords: age-related diseases; diet supplement; inflammation; pathological calcification; vitamin K; vitamin K-dependent proteins.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Dina Simes and Carla Viegas are cofounders of Genogla Diagnostics. The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest regarding the publication of this paper.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Chemical Structure of Vitamin K vitamers. Phylloquinone or vitamin K1 (A), menaquinone-n (MKn), or vitamin K2 (B) and menadione or vitamin K3 (C).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Dam B.Y.H., Schnheyder F. The occurence and chemical nature of vitamin k. Biochem. J. 1936;30:897–901. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Nelsestuen G.L., Suttie W. Mode of Action of Vitamin K. Calcium Binding Properties of Bovine Prothrombint. Biochem. J. 1972;11:4961–4964. doi: 10.1021/bi00776a013. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Willems B.A.G., Vermeer C., Chris P., Reutelingsperger M., Schurgers L.J. The realm of vitamin K dependent proteins: Shifting from coagulation toward calcification. Mol. Nutr. Food Res. 2014;58:1620–1635. doi: 10.1002/mnfr.201300743. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Cranenburg E.C.M., Schurgers L.J., Uiterwijk H.H., Beulens J.W.J., Dalmeijer G.W., Westerhuis R., Magdeleyns E.J., Herfs M., Vermeer C., Laverman G.D. Vitamin K intake and status are low in hemodialysis patients. Kidney Int. 2012;82:605–610. doi: 10.1038/ki.2012.191. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Misra D., Booth S.L., Tolstykh I., Felson D.T., Nevitt M.C., Lewis C.E., Torner J., Neogi T. Vitamin K Deficiency Is Associated with Incident Knee Osteoarthritis. Am. J. Med. 2013;126:243–248. doi: 10.1016/j.amjmed.2012.10.011. - DOI - PMC - PubMed