Ironjustic
Sun, Sep-24-06, 06:15
Study suggests women need more vitamin K for bones
By Clarisse Douaud
22/09/2006 - A recent study suggests thwarting vitamin K's
function could hinder bone health and contribute to the
development of osteoporosis, results that call into
question a need for increased vitamin K supplementation.
The University of Michigan School of Nursing study found that
typical intake of vitamin K may in fact not be enough to
support bone health in the perimenopausal years. The finding
could spur formulators to more actively promote vitamin K for
pre-menopausal women, although the ingredient can cause
complications for those on blood thinners.
Vitamin K is found in green and green leafy vegetables as well
as vegetable oils, however most individuals do not consume
sufficient amounts to promote bone health. Few multivitamins
contain vitamin K, and those that do have minimal amounts of
the nutrient.
In the UK, the average age at which women reach menopause is
51 years, according to the National Osteoporosis Society.
Menopause is characterized by a loss of oestrogen production,
which accelerates bone loss. At worst, this can lead to
osteoporosis, a disease characterized by brittle bones.
The study, published in the current issue of the journal
Menopause
(22(10):799-808, September/October 2006), noted that one of
the early effects of declining oestrogen is the
impairment of vitamin K function in bones even before
bone loss from menopause can be measured.
Fifty-nine healthy women participated in the study funded by
pharmaceutical giant Pfizer. The women were divided into three
groups: 19 women aged 40-52; 21 women aged 20-30; and 19
untreated women between 40-52 years.
The study included blood tests, interviews and food frequency
quesionnaires to determine dietary habits, calculation of the
body mass index as well as measurement of bone mineral density
of the lumbar spine and the non-dominant hip.
"Our study suggests that the generally accepted level of
vitamin K in healthy women is inadequate to maintain bone
health just at the onset of menopause," said lead author Jane
Lukacs in a communication accompanying the study's
publication. She did not express an opinion on optimum
vitamin K intake.
With the help of vitamin K, the protein osteocalcin can bind
to calcium in the bone. This protein becomes part of the bone
structure when it is chemically modified to bind to calcium
through a carboxylization.
In the study, the percentage of undercarboxylated osteocalcin
was higher in the untreated early postmenopause cohort
compared with all the other women (21.9+/-1.7 percent vs
17.4+/-0.9 percent, n=40; P = .02). This implies these women
were deficient in vitamin K.
"Percentage of undercarboxylated osteocalcin may be a specific
bone marker of the early postmenopause in healthy women,"
concluded the study.
Lukacs said it is necessary to explore whether vitamin K
supplementation in the early postmenopause will offer an
additional intervention for women concerned about their future
risk of fracture.
Those who take anticoagulant medicine for hypercoagulation
however are generally advised not to take vitamin K because it
is thought to play a role in blood clotting.
--------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------
http://www.nutritiondata.com/facts-A00001-01c009Y.html
Vegetable oil, soybean lecithin
"It is also a very good source of Vitamin K."
Who loves ya. Tom
Jesus Was A Vegetarian! http://jesuswasavegetarian.7h.com
Man Is A Herbivore! http://tinyurl.com/a3cc3
DEAD PEOPLE WALKING http://tinyurl.com/zk9fk
By Clarisse Douaud
22/09/2006 - A recent study suggests thwarting vitamin K's
function could hinder bone health and contribute to the
development of osteoporosis, results that call into
question a need for increased vitamin K supplementation.
The University of Michigan School of Nursing study found that
typical intake of vitamin K may in fact not be enough to
support bone health in the perimenopausal years. The finding
could spur formulators to more actively promote vitamin K for
pre-menopausal women, although the ingredient can cause
complications for those on blood thinners.
Vitamin K is found in green and green leafy vegetables as well
as vegetable oils, however most individuals do not consume
sufficient amounts to promote bone health. Few multivitamins
contain vitamin K, and those that do have minimal amounts of
the nutrient.
In the UK, the average age at which women reach menopause is
51 years, according to the National Osteoporosis Society.
Menopause is characterized by a loss of oestrogen production,
which accelerates bone loss. At worst, this can lead to
osteoporosis, a disease characterized by brittle bones.
The study, published in the current issue of the journal
Menopause
(22(10):799-808, September/October 2006), noted that one of
the early effects of declining oestrogen is the
impairment of vitamin K function in bones even before
bone loss from menopause can be measured.
Fifty-nine healthy women participated in the study funded by
pharmaceutical giant Pfizer. The women were divided into three
groups: 19 women aged 40-52; 21 women aged 20-30; and 19
untreated women between 40-52 years.
The study included blood tests, interviews and food frequency
quesionnaires to determine dietary habits, calculation of the
body mass index as well as measurement of bone mineral density
of the lumbar spine and the non-dominant hip.
"Our study suggests that the generally accepted level of
vitamin K in healthy women is inadequate to maintain bone
health just at the onset of menopause," said lead author Jane
Lukacs in a communication accompanying the study's
publication. She did not express an opinion on optimum
vitamin K intake.
With the help of vitamin K, the protein osteocalcin can bind
to calcium in the bone. This protein becomes part of the bone
structure when it is chemically modified to bind to calcium
through a carboxylization.
In the study, the percentage of undercarboxylated osteocalcin
was higher in the untreated early postmenopause cohort
compared with all the other women (21.9+/-1.7 percent vs
17.4+/-0.9 percent, n=40; P = .02). This implies these women
were deficient in vitamin K.
"Percentage of undercarboxylated osteocalcin may be a specific
bone marker of the early postmenopause in healthy women,"
concluded the study.
Lukacs said it is necessary to explore whether vitamin K
supplementation in the early postmenopause will offer an
additional intervention for women concerned about their future
risk of fracture.
Those who take anticoagulant medicine for hypercoagulation
however are generally advised not to take vitamin K because it
is thought to play a role in blood clotting.
--------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------
http://www.nutritiondata.com/facts-A00001-01c009Y.html
Vegetable oil, soybean lecithin
"It is also a very good source of Vitamin K."
Who loves ya. Tom
Jesus Was A Vegetarian! http://jesuswasavegetarian.7h.com
Man Is A Herbivore! http://tinyurl.com/a3cc3
DEAD PEOPLE WALKING http://tinyurl.com/zk9fk