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Review
. 2020 Aug 18;12(8):2485.
doi: 10.3390/nu12082485.

Beneficial Effects of Vitamin K Status on Glycemic Regulation and Diabetes Mellitus: A Mini-Review

Hsin-Jung Ho  1 , Michio Komai  1 , Hitoshi Shirakawa  1   2
Affiliations
Review

Beneficial Effects of Vitamin K Status on Glycemic Regulation and Diabetes Mellitus: A Mini-Review

Hsin-Jung Ho et al. Nutrients. .

Abstract

Type 2 diabetes mellitus is a chronic disease that is characterized by hyperglycemia, insulin resistance, and dysfunctional insulin secretion. Glycemic control remains a crucial contributor to the progression of type 2 diabetes mellitus as well as the prevention or delay in the onset of diabetes-related complications. Vitamin K is a fat-soluble vitamin that plays an important role in the regulation of the glycemic status. Supplementation of vitamin K may reduce the risk of diabetes mellitus and improve insulin sensitivity. This mini-review summarizes the recent insights into the beneficial effects of vitamin K and its possible mechanism of action on insulin sensitivity and glycemic status, thereby suppressing the progression of diabetes mellitus.

Keywords: diabetes mellitus; glycemic status; insulin sensitivity; vitamin K.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interests.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Vitamin K status of male Wistar rat tissues. Rats were fed a standard AIN-93G rodent diet for three weeks. The levels of vitamin K in tissues were determined using fluorescent high-performance liquid chromatography. MK-4: menaquinone-4. (Reproduced from Ref. [17]).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Schematic illustration of the plausible mechanisms of VK on insulin response and glycemic status. MGP: matrix Gla protein; OC: osteocalcin; TNF-α: tumor necrosis factor α, IL: interleukin.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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