Multi-Ethnic Study Suggests Vitamin K May Offer Protective Health Benefits in Older Age

A multi-ethnic study of almost 4,000 Americans aged 54 to 76 published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found older adults with low vitamin K levels were more likely to die within 13 years versus those with adequate levels, reports ScienceDaily . Analysis revealed no significant associations between vitamin K levels and heart disease, but participants with the lowest vitamin K levels had a 19 percent higher risk of death, compared to the those with levels indicating adequate vitamin K intake. "The possibility that vitamin K is linked to heart disease and mortality is based on our knowledge about proteins in vascular tissue that require vitamin K to function," said Kyla Shea at Tufts University's Jean Mayer U.S. Department of Agriculture Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging. "These proteins help prevent calcium from building up in artery walls, and without enough vitamin K, they are less functional." Tufts Medical Center's Daniel Weiner said age-related calcification of blood vessels reduces the efficiency of blood flow, which can lead to complications. "That is why measuring risk of death, in a study such as this, may better capture the spectrum of events associated with worsening vascular health," he noted.