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High levels of vitamin K may decrease risk for metabolic syndrome
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A diet high in menaquinones and a high vitamin K status may be linked to a lower occurrence of metabolic syndrome, according to research in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.
The study showed that a high intake of menaquinones — mostly found in animal products, such as meat, eggs and cheese — and high vitamin K levels were associated with a reduced occurrence of metabolic syndrome, both cross sectionally and longitudinally. Phylloquinones — typically found in green leafy vegetables — and total vitamin K intake were not associated with metabolic syndrome, according to researchers.
Veerle Dam, MS, of University Medical Center Utrecht, Netherlands, and colleagues at other institutions analyzed data from two cohorts, one of 402 women aged 49 to 70 years who had been enrolled in the PROSPECT study, and one of 400 men aged 40 to 80 years. There were 625 patients remaining at follow-up 10 years later. Data were analyzed both cross sectionally and longitudinally with Poisson and linear regression adjusted for multiple confounders. A validated food frequency questionnaire measured the patients’ baseline phylloquinone and menaquinone intake, whereas vitamin K status was measured by assessing patients’ desphospho-uncarboxylated Matrix Gla protein (dp-ucMGP) in plasma. Metabolic syndrome was present in 270 (34.5%) of the study participants at baseline and in 171 (35.7%) at follow-up.
Cross sectionally, high menaquinone intake was associated with a lower prevalence of metabolic syndrome for the highest vs. the lowest tertile (P for trend = .08; prevalence ratio [PR] = 0.74; 95% CI, 0.54-1.03). At follow-up, the highest tertiles for menaquinone intake (PR = 0.62; 95% CI, 0.4-0.95) and vitamin K status (PR = 0.57; 95% CI, 0.38-0.87) were associated with a lower occurrence of metabolic syndrome (P for trend = .01).
Triacylglycerol and waist circumference measurements drove the associations, according to researchers.
Participants in the highest phylloquinone tertile were more often women and older and had higher glucose levels and higher fiber intake compared with participants in the lowest tertile. Participants in the highest menaquinone tertile were more often men and younger and had higher protein intake compared with those in the lowest tertile. Participants in the highest-ranking vitamin K status were younger and had a lower BMI, waist circumference, glucose level, systolic and diastolic BP and higher protein intake compared with those in the lowest tertile.
Although a previous study with a larger and younger population (5,800 participants, aged 20 to 45 years) suggested that a higher intake of phylloquinone may prevent metabolic syndrome, there was no cross-sectional association between the two, according to researchers.
“The different associations for phylloquinones and menaquinones might be explained by their transport and distribution over the body,” the researchers wrote. “They are mainly transported in plasma by lipoproteins, from which phylloquinone is effectively cleared by the liver for activation of clotting factors, while menaquinones are redistributed via low-density lipoproteins.” – by Regina Schaffer
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.
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