A recently published study analyzed the importance of vitamin K in short-term survival as well as for long-term health and chronic disease. The researchers were investigating a theory known as the triage theory, which suggests that during a shortage of micronutrients in the body, the micronutrients are used for physiological functions required for short-term survival over those that are related to long-term health and age-related diseases including osteoporosis, atherosclerosis, and cancer.
In this study, researchers evaluated 11 vitamin-K-dependent proteins in mice to establish the effect of the functional status of each of these proteins on survival. Five of the proteins were required for blood clotting. The researchers also investigated the vitamin-K-dependent proteins osteocalcin, a protein that plays a role in bone mineralization and calcium metabolism; matrix Gla protein, a calcium-binding protein that is involved in the organization of bone tissue; growth arrest specific protein 6, a protein thought to be involved in the stimulation of cell proliferation; transforming growth factor beta-inducible protein, which controls proliferation and cellular differentiation and plays a role in immunity, cancer, heart disease, and diabetes; and periostin, a protein important for bone growth and heart cell regeneration.
The results of the study showed that the 5 vitamin-K-dependent proteins required for blood clotting were lethal when non-functional. The mice missing any of the other proteins survived until weaning, suggesting those proteins were less critical for survival.
The researchers further discuss the consequences of dietary vitamin K inadequacy and vitamin K deficiency induced by chronic anticoagulant (warfarin/Coumadin®) therapy, which are all linked to age-associated conditions including: 1) bone fragility after estrogen loss, which is related to osteocalcin; 2) arterial calcification linked to cardiovascular disease, which is related to matrix Gla protein; and 3) increased spontaneous cancer in mice without functional transforming growth factor beta-inducible protein.
The study authors stated, “A triage perspective reinforces recommendations of some experts that much of the population and warfarin/Coumadin patients may not receive sufficient vitamin K for optimal function of vitamin-K-dependent proteins that are important to maintain long-term health.”
Reference:
McCann JC, Ames BN. Vitamin K, an example of triage theory: is micronutrient inadequacy linked to diseases of aging? Am J Clin Nutr. 2009 Oct;90(4):889-907.