Vitamin K: The coagulation vitamin that became omnipotent.

betai...@yahoo.com

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Jul 1, 2007, 5:43:38 AM7/1/07

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1: Thromb. Haemost. 2007 Jul;98(1):120-5.

Vitamin K: The coagulation vitamin that
became omnipotent.

Cranenburg EC, Schurgers LJ, Vermeer C.

Department of Biochemistry,
University of Maastricht,
P.O. Box 616, 6200 MD
Maastricht, The Netherlands.
E-mail: c.ve...@bioch.unimaas.nl.

Vitamin K, discovered in the 1930s, functions as cofactor
for the posttranslational carboxylation of glutamate
residues. Gammacarboxy glutamic acid (Gla)-residues were
first identified in prothrombin and coagulation factors in
the 1970s; subsequently, extra-hepatic Gla proteins were
described, including osteocalcin and matrix Gla protein (MGP).
Impairment of the function of osteocalcin and MGP due to
incomplete carboxylation results in an increased risk for
developing osteoporosis and vascular calcification, respectively,
and is an unexpected side effect of treatment with oral
anticoagulants.
It is conceivable that other side effects, possible involving
growth-arrest-specific gene 6 (Gas6) protein will be
identified in forthcoming years. In healthy individuals,
substantial fractions of osteocalcin and MGP circulate
as incompletely carboxylated species, indicating that the
majority of these individuals is subclinically vitamin
K-deficient. Potential new application areas for vitamin K
are therefore its use in dietary supplements and functional
foods for healthy individuals to prevent bone and vascular
disease, as well as for patients on oral anticoagulant
treatment to offer them protection against coumarin-induced side
effects and to reduce diet-induced fluctuations in their INR values.

PMID: 17598002 [PubMed - in process]

Juhana Harju

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Jul 1, 2007, 6:47:45 AM7/1/07

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Thanks for posting. I noticed that the full study is freely downloadable.

http://www.schattauer.de/index.php?id=1268&pii=th07070120&no_cache=1

> Related Links
>
> Role of vitamin K and vitamin K-dependent proteins in vascular
> calcification. [Z Kardiol. 2001] PMID:11374034
>
> Primary structure of bovine matrix Gla protein,
> a new vitamin K-dependent bone protein. [J Biol Chem. 1985]
> PMID:3877721
>
> Adverse effects of coumarin anticoagulants.
> [Drug Saf. 1993] PMID:8260120
>
> Effects of vitamin K on bone mass and bone metabolism.
> [J Nutr. 1996]
> PMID:8642454
>
> Novel conformation-specific antibodies against
> matrix gamma-carboxyglutamic acid (Gla) protein:
> undercarboxylated matrix Gla protein as marker for vascular
> calcification. [Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol. 2005]
> PMID:15961706

--
Juhana

Ice Man

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Jul 8, 2007, 11:53:37 AM7/8/07

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Nice find. Made me realize how useless my K-1 supplement is for
preventing soft tissue calcification from D supplementation. I should
be supplementing with K-2 instead, or perhaps both Ks.

trigonom...@gmail.com

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Jul 27, 2007, 6:07:37 AM7/27/07

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I'll add there are a couple of forms of vitamin K2 now available in
supplement form. MK-4 and MK-7. LEF reformulated the supplement
to contain both. And there is a vitamin K supplement derived from the
fermented
soy product Natto which I recall to be MK-7. Natto is said to be
nasty as foods go, I guess it has a bad smell or taste?

Juhana Harju

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Jul 27, 2007, 12:37:41 PM7/27/07

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First you get accustomed to it and eventually you will like it. :-P

--
Juhana

Ice Man

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Aug 15, 2007, 12:50:09 AM8/15/07

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I did get my hands on the LEF K2 supplement a few weeks ago. Its got
1250% of the RDA of K2 in MK-4 and MK-7 format. After a couple of
weeks of taking them my lower back pain which I had been suffering
from since late February improved dramatically and is not almost gone.
I feel a lot better about popping between 1000 IU and 2000 IU of D3 a
day as well. One can never be sure if its a placebo effect or not but
I am sticking with this for a couple more months, then I will test my
blood coagulation again to see if its in normal range again.

I'm still a bit surprised I was deficient in K because according to
wikipedia K2 deficiency is extremely rare because the intestinal
organisms make the vitamin for you. Maybe I have some villi problems
who knows...but this is good stuff. If only they sold natto in cans
somewhere, I would then try to make that an "aquired taste" but the
LEF pills will have to suffice for now.

Juhana Harju

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Aug 15, 2007, 1:08:41 AM8/15/07

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Ice Man wrote:

> I'm still a bit surprised I was deficient in K because according to
> wikipedia K2 deficiency is extremely rare because the intestinal
> organisms make the vitamin for you.

Wikipedia is not a reliable source of information. Generally the recommended
vitamin K doses are based on the low doses needed for blood coagulation.
Higher amounts of vitamin K are required for the adequate carboxylation of
osteocalcin and matrix Gla protein. This is not normally taken into account
in these recommendations. Good carboxylation of these proteins protects
bones and arteries.

--
Juhana