Osteoporosis - what vitamin could be the key to prevention?
There is now a substantial amount of clinical trial evidence supporting the use of Vitamin K2 for prevention and treatment of Osteoporosis. Vitamin K2 activity involves both an increase in the bone-building process and a separate decrease in the bone-loss process. It is one of the most frequently prescribed treatments for osteoporosis in Japan. Vitamin K2 exerts a more powerful influence on bone than vitamin K1, and should be considered for prevention or treatment in those conditions known to contribute to osteoporosis.
Vitamin K1, or phylloquinone, is found naturally in plants. Vitamin K2, or menaquinone, is made by the bacteria that line the gastrointestinal tract. Vitamin K3, or menadione, is a synthetic form that is man made. It is K2 that shows the most promise in the prevention and treatment of Osteoporosis.
Evidence to support K2 supplementation for Osteoporosis:
The Nurses Health Study followed 72,327 women between 38 and 63 years of age for 10 years. The researchers found that women with the lowest intake of vitamin K had a 30% higher risk of hip fracture than women with the highest intake of vitamin K. They concluded there was a lower risk of hip fracture in middle-aged and older women with moderate and high intakes of vitamin K than in those with a low intake.
Researchers reporting in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition in May 2000 found that men and women with the highest intake of dietary vitamin K had only 35% of the risk of a hip fracture as opposed to those with the lowest intake of vitamin K (approximately 250 mcg per day compared to 50 mcg per day). The study involved over 800 elderly men and women participating in the Framingham Heart Study. (Am J Clin Nutr. 2000;71(5):1201-1208).
Japanese researchers reporting in the journal Nutrition in 2001 observed a large geographic difference in blood levels of vitamin K2 in postmenopausal women. They noted that Japanese women in Tokyo had significantly higher levels of vitamin K2 than Japanese women in Hiroshima and British women have much lower levels than both. They also noted that natto, which contains a large amount of vitamin K2, is eaten frequently in Tokyo but seldom in Hiroshima. Analysing the relationship between the regional difference in natto intake and the incidence of fractures they found a significant association between the incidence of hip fractures in women and natto consumption in each region throughout Japan.
As previously noted, British women have significantly lower levels of vitamin K2, suggesting the possibility that higher vitamin K2 blood levels from natto consumption may contribute to the relatively lower fracture risk in Japanese women.
Why may we be deficient in this nutrient?
The subject of nutrient absorption is pertinent because the vitamin Ks are lipid soluble; therefore, fat malabsorption may create a deficiency. Recent reviews revealing celiac disease is common in those with deficiency underscores its involvement in at least the partial cause of osteoporosis due to malabsorption of necessary bone factors, including vitamin K.
Documentation is plentiful illustrating the importance of vitamin K in bone maintenance.
How can you best get enough Vitamin K2?
Ideally this would be obtained through the diet, however Vitamin K2 is obtained from fermented foods which are part of traditional Asian diets and difficult to get enough of on a daily basis in Western society. Examples are Natto (fermented soybeans) and Miso.
If you have Osteoporosis or are wanting to prevent this condition it is strongly recommended that you supplement with Vitamin K, and we also strongly recommend that you talk with us about the most appropriate dose for you.
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