Vitamin K Proves Essential for Bones' Health

Vitamin K has been well known as a fat soluble vitamin that plays an important role in blood clotting.

But many trials in the last decade showed vitamin K to have a beneficial effect on bone mineral density (bone mineral density is the parameter doctors measure to determine if an individual has osteoporosis).

Studies have demonstrated that vitamin K can not only increase bone mineral density in osteoporotic people, but also actually reduce fracture rates.

Studies showed that vitamins K and D, a classic in bone metabolism, works synergistically on bone density.

Vitamin K(1) at normal dose co- administered with vitamin D has a great effect on bones' health.

Vitamin K is believed to be very common. Intestinal bacteria deliver in most people the daily amount need of vitamin K.

But to be sure you get enough K, especially to keep bones strong, you need to eat K-rich vegetables.

Sarah Booth, of the Vitamin K Laboratory at the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University in Boston, says that it has become apparent that Vitamin K isn't as abundant in the diet as once thought.

A new study revealed that women in early post-menopause may not have enough vitamin K.

Jane Lukacs, Ph.D. from the University of Michigan School of Nursing suggested that impairment of vitamin K function, a result of declining estrogen, could be an supplementary factor to the development of osteoporosis.

"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," Lukacs said.

In her study, she compared women of 20-30 years to the category of 40-52 years.

Blood, dietary habits and bone mineral density were investigated.

The importance of calcium and vitamin D for bone health are known for a long time.

But vitamin K's role is little known in bone physiology.

Vitamin K plays a main role in the carboxylation of a bone protein called osteocalcin. The carboxylated osteocalcin binds to calcium and helps bone mineralization. This way, vitamin K affects calcium balance in organism.

Vitamin K is abundant in green vegetables such kale, spinach, cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, leafy lettuce and parsley.

Maybe that's why people who consume high amounts of green vegetables get stronger bones than those who don't.

"In early menopause, increase your intake of dark green vegetables and vegetable oils on a daily basis." suggested Lukacs.

Till now, there were not any studies carried about the question whether high intake of vitamin K- rich green vegetables in early menopause helps prevent osteoporosis or not.

"In adolescence and early adulthood, the incorporation of weight-bearing exercise is crucial because we also observed lower bone density in the hip of premenopausal women in their late 40's well before the onset of menopause," she added.

Some specialists say that children should not over-use meat and dairy products, too much of which may result in an acidic environment in the body and cause loss of bone minerals.