Vitamin Information Center

DR HUGH Butt, the Mayo Clinic physician who discovered the role of vitamin K in clotting and developed anti-clotting techniques that paved the way for open-heart surgery and transplants, has died after a fall at his home in Rochester, Minnesota, in the United States. He was 98.

He was a resident at Mayo in the 1930s when he learned that Danish nutritionist Henrik Dam, who received the 1943 Nobel prize in physiology or medicine for the discovery of vitamin K, had shown that chickens deficient in the vitamin were susceptible to internal bleeding.

Butt suspected that an inability to absorb the vitamin properly was at the root of the hemorrhaging and confirmed this in chickens.

Soon after, he was confronted with a jaundiced patient who was bleeding to death internally. He administered vitamin K combined with bile salts to increase absorption and, within an hour, the bleeding had ceased.

It was “the first kind of miracle I had ever seen,” he later recalled.

Q. For foods that act as natural blood thinners (such as broccoli, cabbage, etc.), does it make a difference whether the foods are eaten raw or cooked? My mom, who takes prescription blood thinners, has been told that she should avoid all these foods. But these foods are also good for you and I would like to be able to find a balance. It seems to me that you would need to consume a great deal of vitamin K in order for it to produce a negative effect together with the Coumadin.

A. First, a clarification on why people taking blood-thinners are sometimes advised to avoid foods that are high in vitamin K. Vitamin K does not act as a natural blood-thinner; quite the opposite. Vitamin K regulates clotting action and can interfere with blood-thinning medication.

But you are quite right to note that these foods are also very good for you and, in fact, it is not necessary to eliminate them from the diet when taking blood-thinning medication.  It is important, however, to keep your intake of vitamin K relatively steady from day to day so that your doctor can calibrate your dosage appropriately. Please refer to this post for a more complete discussion of this issue.

To your question about how cooking affects vitamin K levels: The amount of vitamin K is not greatly affected by cooking.  Nonetheless, most vegetables are listed in our database in both their raw and cooked forms so you can check the vitamin K content of a food according to how its prepared.

New research has concluded vitamin K2 consumption can aid recovery from hip fractures as well as have potential osteoporosis benefits.

Published in the European Journal of Epidemiology, Japanese researchers found a positive link between vitamin K2 and hip fractures and osteoporosis, and suggested a review of the, “dietary reference value of vitamin K from the perspective of osteoporosis would be useful.”

The current Japanese reference value is 55mcg for women and 65mcg per day for men. In the US and Canada it is 120mcg per day for men and 90mcg per day for women. In France the limit is 65mcg per day for both men and women.

“Since regions which consumed a lot of vitamin K, especially vitamin K2, showed a low incidence of hip fracture, we considered that vitamin K intake, not absorption, of over 300 mcg/day would be helpful to reduce the incidence of hip fracture,” the researchers concluded.

Family K

The vitamin K family includes the forms phylloquinone (K1) that are typically found in cruciferous vegetables and menaquinone (K2), which are sourced from bacteria. Studies have shown K2 to be the more important nutrient in regard to bone health.

“Menaquinone-7 (K2) showed a very long half-life time compared to vitamin K1,” the researchers wrote. With this in mind they recommended higher doses in regions like Europe and North America, where vitamin K1 consumption is higher.

The study also investigated vitamin D, calcium and magnesium, which have strong clinical bone health backing, and found when these were adjusted for, vitamin K2 continued to reveal a beneficial effect.

Dietary sources

The study assessed population diets in various regions of Japan as well as dietary differences, and found that those regions where certain vitamin K-rich fruits and vegetables were prominent had reduced rates of hip fracture.

“There was also a striking pattern of high intake of vitamin K and low incidence of hip fracture in eastern areas of Japan, with the opposite pattern-a low intake of vegetables rich in vitamin K and a high incidence of hip fracture-in western areas,” they wrote.

“These findings lend support to the idea that vitamin K is an important factor explaining regional differences in the incidence of hip fracture.”

Natto, a food made from fermented soy beans, was singled out as being a particularly abundant vitamin K source.

K for bones

The researchers recognised that the role of Vitamin K role in assisting bone health is relatively new.

“Calcium, the most studied nutrient in the area of bone health, is known for its effectiveness in retarding bone loss in postmenopausal women,” they said. “Magnesium and vitamin D play important roles in calcium and bone metabolism. Vitamin K, originally recognised as a factor required for normal blood coagulation, is beginning to receive more attention for its role in bone metabolism.”

Due to the ecological nature of the study, a “causal linkage between the incidence of hip fracture and intake of vitamin K” could not be confirmed but the researchers said, “further research using more robust epidemiological methods is warranted.”

Estimates suggest that in the absence of primary prevention the number of hip fractures worldwide will increase to approximately 2.6 million by the year 2025, and 4.5 million by the year 2050.

Osteoporosis weakens bone strength which increases the likelihood of hip fracture, a problem that increases with age.

Tacloban City (March 16) — Yes, Virginia. Filipino women can have healthy, glowing skin this Women’s Month and all year round, even without investing their paycheck in expensive serums and creams and dermal fillers. How? Through a skin-friendly diet.

Truly, a woman’s skin is best taken cared of and nurtured by a well-rounded diet that includes healthy fats, sufficient protein, and lots of fruits and vegetables, but there are a few standouts that make particular contributions to healthy, glowing skin.

First of all, women should eat fish. Fatty fish like salmon, tilapia and many others which abound in the area are rich in Omega-3 fatty acids that bolster the skin barrier or the layer of lipids that hold on to moisture and keep irritants away.

Fish is also rich in Vitamin D. Remember, dermatologists increasingly emphasize sun avoidance, so there is a need to find other sources of this vitamin which is produced during sun exposure.

For women who do not eat fish, the good news is that eggs are also sources of omega-3 fatty acids, along with plant sources like nuts.

Another important part of a skin-friendly diet is Green Tea. It is inexpensive and has been researched as the most powerful anti-oxidant. Drinking at least three cups a day will fight aging and inflammation. So put down that soda Virginia and start drinking your way to healthier skin.

For vegetables, add more Broccoli in the diet. It is rich in vitamins A, C and K. Vitamin A decreases oil production; Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant and Vitamin K prevents bruises.

Next on the list is virgin coconut oil. It helps prevent dry skin and inflammation and is essential for the formation of hormones that keep all the cells of the body functioning well. So try sauteeing your fish and your vegetable in virgin coconut oil and double those skin soothing effects. The secret is, you can drink your virgin coconut oil and get the best effect.

When it comes to boosting the skin’s defenses against anti aging, inflammation and skin cancer, antioxidants are very important so there is another food that must be added to the list- Nuts. A doctor friend always say that a handful of almonds every day boosts the levels of vitamin E, one of the most important anti-oxidants for skin health. However, since almonds may be difficult to find in the hinterlands, a handful of the native peanuts will do.

There, Virginia. Have these in your diet and off you go towards achieving a healthy, glowing skin not only during the month-long celebration of Women’s Month, but all year round. (PIA 8

An adolescent’s vitamin K status could have important long-term implications on bone health, and a better status may protect them from osteoporosis later in life, suggests a new study.

An improved status of the vitamin was found to improve bone mineral content and bone mass in the whole body, according to the study with 307 healthy children with an average age of 11.2 published in the British Journal of Nutrition.

“As children grow the increase in bone mass may fail to keep up with the increase in height, or length of the bone, and as a consequence, this imbalance may result in fracture,” said lead author Marieke Summeren from University Medical Centre Utrecht.

“But the main threat of a long-term shortage of K vitamins is that peak bone mass may be compromised, and as we age and begin to lose bone density, the risk of fracture in later life is increased.”

Osteoporosis is characterized by low bone mass, which leads to an increase risk of fractures, especially the hips, spine and wrists. An estimated 75 million people suffer from osteoporosis in Europe, the USA and Japan.

Women are four times more likely to develop osteoporosis than men.

Potential reduction of osteoporosis has traditionally been a two-pronged approach by either attempting to boost bone density in high-risk post-menopausal women by improved diet or supplements, or by maximising the build up of bone during the highly important pubescent years.

About 35 per cent of a mature adult’s peak bone mass is built-up during puberty.

The new study followed the children for years and correlated vitamin K status, measured as a ratio of undercarboxylated osteocalcin (ucOC) to carboxylated osteocalcin (cOC), to bone mineral content (BMC) and markers of bone metabolism.

Osteocalcin is a vitamin K-dependent protein and is essential for the body to utilise calcium in bone tissue. Without adequate vitamin K, the osteocalcin remains inactive, and thus not effective.

Summeren and co-workers report that large variations were observed in the vitamin K status of the children, both at the start and end of the two-year study. Nonetheless, an improved vitamin K status over the time period, as was observed in 281 children, was associated with a significant increase in BMC.

“There are two types of vitamin K from dietary sources. Vitamin K1 is found in leafy green vegetables, and Vitamin K2, also called menaquinones, are predominately found in fermented cheeses, curd, and the fermented soy called natto,” explained co-author Leon Schurgers from VitaK and Cardiovascular Research Institute at the University of Maastricht.

“Vitamin K1 is mostly used by the liver where it is involved in the synthesis of certain blood clotting factors. Vitamin K2 is also equally active outside the liver, in tissues including bone. Thus it is important to have good sources of both types of vitamin K!”

The research adds to a growing body of science linking the vitamin to improved boned health, particularly in post-menopausal women. The Maastricht-based researchers previously reported that daily supplements of vitamin K2 maintained hipbone strength in postmenopausal women, while placebo led to weakening (Osteoporosis International, doi: 10.1007/s00198-007-0337-9).

The double-blind, placebo controlled study followed 325 healthy women with no osteoporosis for three years and also found that vitamin K2 supplements boosted the women’s bone mineral content (BMC), compared to placebo.

The new study also included researchers from VU University Medical Centre and the Danone Research Centre Daniel Carasso in France.

Source: British Journal of Nutrition
Published online ahead of print, doi:10.1017/S0007114508921760
“Vitamin K status is associated with childhood bone mineral content”
Authors: M.J.H. van Summeren, S.C.C.M. van Coeverden, L.J. Schurgers, L.A.J.L.M. Braam, F. Noirt, C.S.P.M. Uiterwaal, W. Kuis, C. Vermeer

NattoPharma, Norway, and P.L. Thomas today note the publication of a new study demonstrating vitamin K’s role in promoting healthy bones in children. Published online at the British Journal of Nutrition link, the researchers followed 307 healthy children, with an average age of 11.2 years, over a two year period and measured skeletal bone mineral content. They found improved status of the K vitamins over the two year period resulted in better mineral content and improved bone mass of the whole body.

According to the lead author, Marieke Summeren, Ph.D., “As children grow the increase in bone mass may fail to keep up with the increase in height, or length of the bone, and as a consequence, this imbalance may result in fracture.” She continued, “But the main threat of a long-term shortage of K vitamins is that peak bone mass may be compromised, and as we age and begin to lose bone density, the risk of fracture in later life is increased.”

Study author Leon J. Schurgers,Ph.D.commented, “Numerous population studies and interventional trials have established the consumption of K vitamins to bone strength, structure and the reduction of the risk of fracture. This is due to the need to activate the vitamin K-dependent protein osteocalcin, which is essential for the body to utilize calcium in a healthy bone tissue. Unfortunately, most people, including children, are likely deficient in the K vitamins related to the need for bone health.”

This is among the first studies linking K vitamins to bone health in children. Vitamin K status was evaluated by measured by the amount of active osteocalcin to inactive osteocalcin. Without adequate vitamin K, the osteocalcin remains inactive, and thus not effective. Previous research has evaluated vitamin K status in children and found that they have inadequate K vitamins consumption to fully activate osteocalcin.

“There are two types of vitamin K from dietary sources. Vitamin K1 is found in leafy green vegetables, and Vitamin K2, also called menaquinones, are predominately found in fermented cheeses, curd, and the fermented soy called natto,” stated Schurgers. “Vitamin K1 is mostly used by the liver where it is involved in the synthesis of certain blood clotting factors. Vitamin K2 is also equally active outside the liver, in tissues including bone. Thus it is important to have good sources of both types of vitamin K!”

The recommended intakes of vitamin K today are based solely on coagulation. However, K vitamins are also necessary for the activation of osteocalcin, a protein necessary to transport calcium from the blood to form healthy bone matrix. Also, K vitamins are needed to activate matrix GLA protein (MGP), the most potent inhibitor of vascular calcification known. In essence, K vitamins are necessary to keep calcium in your bones and out of your arteries.

About Vitamin K2
The role of newly recognized vitamin K2 has for the past decade been linked to two of the most important health issues, osteoporosis and cardiovascular disease. This link specifically centers on calcium utilization- implying that there is concurrent arterial calcification and osteoporosis when metabolism of calcium is inadequate. K vitamins are essential to activate proteins involved in calcium metabolism.

Numerous population studies and interventional trials have established the consumption of vitamins K and K2 to bone strength, structure and the reduction of the risk of fracture. More recently, and specifically to vitamin K2, a significant role in cardiovascular health has been established.

A study published in the Journal of Nutrition called the “Rotterdam Study” in 2004, followed over 4,800 people for a ten year period. The study found increased intake of specifically vitamin K2 from dietary sources significantly reduced the incidence of arterial calcification and the risk of CHD mortality by 50% as compared to low dietary vitamin K2 intake. In this study, vitamin K1 had no effect at all.

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PLT offers a natural vitamin K2 under the trade name MenaQ7 in alliance NattoPharma, Norway, the owner of the brand MenaQ7.

About MenaQ7™
MenaQ7 provides Natural Vitamin K2 as an extract of natto, a fermented soy food from Japan. Natto is particularly rich in the highly bio-available form of vitamin K2 called menaquinone-7 (MK-7). MenaQ7 provides the only commercially available Natural Vitamin K2 with guaranteed actives and stability, clinical substantiation and international patents awarded and pending.

For more information on the health benefits of MenaQ7, please visit www.menaq7.com

About NattoPharma
NattoPharma, Norway, is a publically-traded company and the exclusive international supplier of MenaQ7 natural Vitamin K2. NattoPharma has entered into a multi-year research and development program to substantiate and discover the health benefits of natural vitamin K2 for applications in the exciting marketplace for functional food and health food supplements. www.nattopharma.com

About PL Thomas
PL Thomas, a New Jersey-based ingredient supplier, offers fifty years of innovation in securing reliable, high quality raw materials for the food/functional food and nutrition industries. PLT is a one-stop resource for application solutions, current industry information and technical service, and specializes in water-soluble gums and clinically-supported botanical extracts. www.plthomas.com

For more information, please contact Eric Anderson at eric@plthomas.com - 973-984-0900 x215.

BioSym Technologies, a privately-held developer and manufacturer of specialty ingredients for nutraceutical and pharmaceutical markets, is pleased to announce the launch of its Vitamin K2-MK7 raw material.  BioSym’s unique, patent-protected fermentation process results in an extremely pure raw material which can be produced with a significant reduction in processing time.

Recent clinical studies have demonstrated that natural Vitamin K2 as MK-7 is the most bioavailable and bioactive form of Vitamin K.  It has been demonstrated to optimize the utilization of calcium in the body to assist in overall cardiovascular health. 

Dr. Daniel DeBrouse, President of BioSym, states “We are extremely excited to offer the North American market a domestic source for high-quality Vitamin K2-MK7.  Our expertise in biosymbiotic fermentation, extraction and purification will provide our customers with a raw material of the highest quality, which is also absent of solvent residues and is a true all-natural product.”

BioSym’s current range of raw materials, including Vitamin B12, Astaxanthin and Vitamin K2, are manufactured under strict pharmaceutical GMP’s in an ISO-9001 facility.  As a result of its centralized location and superior fermentation techniques, BioSym has the ability to offer its clients a high quality product at a highly competitive cost and with virtually no lead time from the date of order.  DeBrouse added “To our knowledge, BioSym is the only direct manufacturer of Vitamin K2-MK7 located in North America.  Much of the material is sourced from Asia and our clients have indicated a preference for purchasing material of North American origin.”

BioSym has selected CK Nutritional Ingredients as its exclusive distribution representative in Canada.  The company is presently evaluating a variety of distribution options in the U.S. market.

About BioSym Technologies

BioSym Technologies is a manufacturer of specialty nutraceutical ingredients based in Des Moines, Iowa.  With their central location and superior fermentation techniques, BioSym is able to offer high quality ingredients at a competitive price with some of the shortest lead times in the industry.   The manufacturing facility based in Oklahoma City is certified ISO 9001.  For additional, information please contact BioSym’s corporate headquarters at 515-480-4484.  For Canadian inquiries, please contact Michael Chernyak at CK Nutritional Ingredients (Tel: 905-760-1176, Ext 222 and mchernyak@ckfoods.com).