Vitamin K: A Crash Course on This “Hidden Vitamin”

If you want to improve your health, then vitamins must be a crucial weapon in your arsenal. Numerous studies over the years have highlighted the various benefits that can be obtained from vitamins. Recent studies have shed new light on the relatively obscure and extremely underrated vitamin K. Now let us examine the many health benefits that can be derived from this vitamin.

Know Your Vitamin K

If you want to improve your health, then vitamins must be a crucial weapon in your arsenal. Numerous studies over the years have highlighted the various benefits that can be obtained from vitamins. Recent studies have shed new light on the relatively obscure and extremely underrated vitamin K. Now let us examine the many health benefits that can be derived from this vitamin.

Know Your Vitamin K

There are actually two types of vitamin K: K1 and K2. All K vitamins have identical functions that are tied to the naphthoquinone ring structure. What distinguish the two forms of vitamin K are their unique side chains.

Dr. Leon Schurgers is one of the world’s leading researchers on vitamin K. During the Rotterdam Study, which examined the differences between vitamins K1 and K2, Schurgers observed that  two major difference between vitamin k1 and k2 are the food items in which they’re found and the amount of the vitamin that’s absorbed by the body.

He argued that, vitamin K1 is “highly bioavailable” in leafy green vegetables like spinach, kale, broccoli, and cabbage, but the body is capable of absorbing only 10 percent of the total. On the other hand, vitamin K2  is the product of bacterial fermentation and the human body is capable of absorbing almost the full amount of vitamin k2 from the fermented foods in which it is found.

Counting Vitamin K’s Benefits

Both vitamins K1 and K2 are known to help in blood clotting by activating certain coagulation factors. In the past, this has raised concerns from those who are taking oral anticoagulants (which prevent blood clots). Yet surprisingly, high vitamin K levels do not cause your coagulation factors to shift into overdrive. Schurgers explains:

“If you take oral anticoagulants … you have to be careful with K1 AND K2. However, the advice in the United States is to skip everything that contains vitamin K, and that is something I argue against. 

Because if you take away all the K1 and K2 from the diet, every little interference — if you take a little bit of vitamin K — [it] will have a dramatic effect on the anticoagulant level. 

However, if you have a steady intake level of vitamin K1 or K2, or both, a little bit of interference is not that bad anymore.”

Vitamin K is also vital in activating and promoting the biological function of the proteins osteocalcin (found in the bone) and matrix Gla protein or MGP (found in the vascular system).. It’s also known to strongly inhibit calcifications.

Elderly people who have atrial fibrillation or venous or deep-vein thrombosis and take oral anticoagulants are advised to be cautious about their blood levels, as these drugs prevent the recycling of vitamin K (both K1 and K2). It’s advisable to get your baseline PT (prothrombin) measurements while taking the oral anticoagulant and obtaining vitamins K1 and K2 from dietary sources. This information should allow your doctor to adjust your dose based on the results.

Among people who consumed high levels of vitamin K2, research found both lowered risk and prevented deaths from cardiovascular disease and cardiovascular calcification. Vitamin K2 also hindered arterial calcification by moving calcium to the bone instead. Vitamin K2 is also crucial for vascular flow to the brain by preventing plaque deposits, which may lead to Alzheimer’s disease if not monitored properly. Schurgers noted a study that showed how vitamin K2 played a role in delivering cellular energy in Parkinson’s disease patients, and even treating the disease itself.

Take Your Vitamin K Levels Up a Notch

According to Schurgers, virtually everyone is deficient in vitamin K. If you want to know what your vitamin K levels are, consider taking the Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assays (ELISA) test. This blood test calculates the active and inactive forms of MGP in your body and can accurately determine how much vitamin K you have.

Whether or not you know your results, it’s still best to include vitamin K rich foods in your diet to ensure optimal health.

• Vitamin K1: Consume 200 grams of organic vegetables every day, particularly green leafy vegetables like kale, spinach, collard greens, broccoli, and Brussels sprouts
• Vitamin K2: Eat at least 360 to 500 micrograms of hard and soft cheeses, raw butter, kefir, fermented foods like sauerkraut, natto, and miso, grass-fed beef and chicken liver, lamb or duck, or dark turkey meat. The bare minimum is 45 micrograms per day, according to the Rotterdam Study, but it’s best to aim for a higher amount.

You can also increase your vitamin K2 levels by taking a supplement, but only do it as a last resort.

The literature on vitamin K is fast expanding but rather limited when compared with other well-known vitamins. The information presented by Schurgers and his colleagues in the Rotterdam Study proved there are many benefits to be derived from vitamin K regardless of your age or level of well-being. 

Perhaps the most important point to remember is that there are a wide variety of vitamin K-rich foods and vegetables. These healthy and flavorful items make it easy to boost your vitamin k levels with a wholesome natural diet.

http://www.drmercola.com/vitamin-k/vitamin-k-a-crash-course-on-this-hidden-vitamin/

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The Importance of Bone Health

The health of our bones is instrumental to our health and longevity in general. This understanding is especially important today, because there are so many toxins and contaminants in the environment and food chain. Keeping our bones and GI tract healthy is the first step to maintaining a healthy immune system, which is vital in protecting us from the epidemics and pandemics that seem to be lurking around every corner.

This post is on Healthwise

Life Extension Magazine December 2010

BOOK-EXCERPT

By Nicholas Perricone, MD

The health of our bones is instrumental to our health and longevity in general. This understanding is especially important today, because there are so many toxins and contaminants in the environment and food chain. Keeping our bones and GI tract healthy is the first step to maintaining a healthy immune system, which is vital in protecting us from the epidemics and pandemics that seem to be lurking around every corner. Red and white blood cell production alone makes maintaining optimal bone health an important requirement for optimal overall health, especially as we age. It is no coincidence that with aging, diminishing bone health is also accompanied by reduced energy, increased fatigue, an increase in digestive problems, and an increase in maladies associated with a weakening immune system. These maladies include such disorders as rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, irritable and inflammatory bowel disorders, and a host of other chronic inflammatory and degenerative problems—another excellent reason to make sure your diet is rich in high-quality probiotics and foods that are not pro-inflammatory, since pro-inflammatory foods will compound these problems. Bone cells and immune stem cells have a common origin and a functional relationship, just like the skin-and-brain connection known as the osteoimmune relationship. That functional relationship is the basis for the growing field of osteoimmunology. Consider this alarming fact: it is now known that chronic immune system overexertion leads to bone loss and can also promote muscle wasting and increased fat storage. This unfortunate triumvirate does not have to be inevitable. Muscle wasting/loss of muscle mass in older people is called sarcopenia. I had long suspected that there was a strong link between inflammation and sarcopenia and used it as a model to measure and compare the loss of muscle mass seen in those who diet. I was not surprised to discover that patients who suffered from sarcopenia had higher circulating levels of inflammatory markers than those who experienced less loss of muscle mass, while other parameters had insignificant differences. Those other parameters, including levels of growth hormones and sex hormones, were fairly close to the same level in both groups. In simple terms, the subjects with the greatest loss of muscle mass were in an inflammatory state. Inflammatory markers, such as C-reactive protein and cytokines such as interleukin-6, are elevated in the people who suffer the most loss of muscle mass, or severe sarcopenia. This loss of both bone and muscle mass, in conjunction with increased fat storage, has very special disease implications that reach far beyond the obvious aesthetics. According to Navinchandra Dadhaniya, M.D., a specialist in geriatric medicine at Illini Hospital in Pittsfield, Illinois, a healthy young person’s body composition includes 30 percent muscle, 20 percent fat, and 10 percent bone. A person age 75 or over may have 15 percent muscle, 40 percent fat, and 8 percent bone. Reduced bone density, loss of bone health, osteopenia, and osteoporosis portend much greater risks to the body than the broken hip so common in the elderly. These conditions have a systemic impact, predisposing the body to other potentially very serious disorders as well. Bone formation—the acquisition of bone mineral density (BMD)—peaks between the ages of 20 and 30.After the age of 35, both men and women begin to lose bone mass unless they take action to prevent it. By the time we begin to think about our bones, we may have already suffered serious damage. It seems hard to believe that this can happen so early in our lives. You need to protect your bones from an early age. If you are in your twenties or thirties, you can take active steps to prevent future problems. If you are older, there are exciting new strategies that can make a significant difference now. As you will discover, specially targeted nutrients can not only slow bone loss, they can actually encourage new bone growth. While there is an extensive and compelling body of research supporting the positive effects of calcium and vitamin D3 on bone health, a review of forty-eight studies on the effects of calcium on bone health concluded that other micronutrients are needed to optimize bone health, including vitamin K2, magnesium, and trace minerals. Vitamin K1 : Healthy Bones, Healthy Heart Many of us are familiar with vitamin K (phylloquinone, also known as phytonadione), commonly referred to as vitamin K1, which is a fat soluble vitamin found in foods such as cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, spinach, kale, turnip greens, and other dark leafy greens, cereals, and other vegetables. Vitamin K1 makes up about 90 percent of the vitamin K in a typical Western diet and plays an important role in blood clotting. Because this is a fat-soluble vitamin, it is important to eat these foods dressed with a little extra-virgin olive oil to ensure absorption of the nutrient. Some studies indicate that only 10 percent of the vitamin K1 in foods is absorbed by your body. Today, emerging evidence in human intervention studies indicate that vitamin K1 at a much lower dose may also benefit bone health, in particular when coadministered with vitamin D. Several mechanisms are suggested by which vitamin K can modulate bone metabolism. There is increasing evidence that vitamin K positively affects calcium balance, a key mineral in bone metabolism. The Institute of Medicine has recently increased the dietary reference intakes of vitamin K to 90 micrograms per day for women and 120 micrograms per day for men, which is an increase of approximately 50 percent from previous recommendations. Current recommendations are based on levels to ensure adequate blood coagulation, but failing to ensure long-term optimal levels of the vitamin may accelerate bone fragility, arterial and kidney calcification, cardiovascular disease, and possibly even cancer. Vitamin K2: Don’t Leave Home Without It! Though this is good news, the news about vitamin K2 is even better when it comes to both bone and arterial health. Vitamin K2, also known as menaquinones, stays in the body for a significantly longer time than K1. It makes up about 10 percent of a typical Western diet’s vitamin K and can be synthesized in the gut by microflora. Menaquinones (MK-n) can also be found in the diet: MK-4 can be found in meat; MK-7, MK-8, and MK-9 are found in fermented food products like cheese, and an especially rich source of MK-7 is natto, a popular, centuries-old breakfast dish in Japan made from steamed fermented soybeans. Chairman of the Board Certified My friend and colleague Stephen Sinatra, M.D., F.A.C.N., C.N.S., is board certified in both internal medicine and cardiology. The buildup of arterial plaque is deadly to the healthy heart, and Dr. Sinatra continually searches for effective strategies to decrease this threat. A number of studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of vitamin K2 in reversing plaque in blood vessels. Vitamin K2 appears to assist in the decalcification of hard plaque formations. Dr. Sinatra has seen outstanding progress in his patients taking the MK-7 (menaquinone-7) type of vitamin K2, which offers the following unique benefits: Provides the most active and bioavailable form of vitamin K2, MK-7 Helps reduce the level of calcium in the bloodstream Supports cardiovascular health Helps strengthen bones Aids in calcium absorption by bones Helps increase bone density I recently met with Dr. Sinatra to learn even more about this remarkable nutrient. The remarkable discoveries about vitamin K2 demonstrate the holistic nature of the body and how all systems are intrinsically linked—in this instance, bone health and heart health. There is tremendous overlap among bone health, digestive health, the immune system, the cardiovascular system, and so forth. Dr. Sinatra had impressive news from Dr. Cees Vermeer, a biochemist from Maastricht University in the Netherlands and one of the top vitamin K2 researchers in the world. Two new studies (published in Blood, the journal of the American Society of Hematology) by Dr. Vermeer’s team of researchers have reported the following: The first study showed that vitamin K2 is more absorbable by the body than vitamin K1, so K2 is able to provide more support for the enzyme process that contributes to bone health—and more protection against osteoporosis. This absorbability puts vitamin K2 at greater risk of interfering with Coumadin, which is a vitamin K antagonist. Vitamin K promotes clotting, and Coumadin is prescribed to keep the blood thin by preventing clotting. According to Dr. Sinatra, new evidence from Europe suggests that Coumadin may also interfere with a vitamin K2 protein system that keeps calcium out of the arterial walls. It now appears that on one hand, Coumadin thins the blood, but on the other, it contributes to arterial calcification. Coumadin causes a deficiency of both vitamin K1 and vitamin K2. It should come as no surprise to learn that Coumadin takers suffer more osteoporosis in conjunction with more abnormal calcium deposits in other areas, such as the heart valves—in fact, twice as much as those not taking the drug. Dr. Sinatra has become extremely cautious about prescribing Coumadin because of these risks, reserving its use for only the highest-risk patients. To better understand the role of calcium in the body, consider this: Normal deposits of calcium occur only in bone and teeth. Abnormal deposition of calcium in the body occurs in three places: the intima, the innermost layer or lining of the arteries that causes atherosclerotic plaque; the heart valves; and the medial calcification, which is the muscle layer of the arteries. Studies also show that people with coronary disease, in conjunction with reduced blood levels of vitamin K2, show more advanced atherosclerotic plaque. It also appears that calcium is an active participant in the buildup of coronary plaque—and not the innocent bystander once supposed! In a second study, Dr. Vermeer found that a diet high in both vitamins K1 and K2 could prevent and reverse Coumadin-induced arterial calcification in rats. The rat arteries that were studied resembled human arteries affected by common diabetic and age-related sclerosis (hardening of tissues). Traditionally, calcification has been thought to be an irreversible end-stage process in arterial disease. There is a very real possibility that a vitamin supplement could roll back the sclerosis that destroys the arteries. Imagine what this could mean to individuals with diabetes and heart disease. Could it be that many detrimental physical processes associated with age are not part of the so-called normal aging process? More and more, the answer is yes, and many of the pillars supporting the “carved in stone” scientific beliefs are toppling. As this information demonstrates, many of these processes can actually be reversed—and, equally important, prevented altogether. The calcium link between arteries and bone is fascinating to me. One of the biggest tragedies of aging is osteoporosis, which predisposes us to weakness, frailty, and dangerous bone fractures, greatly limiting our mobility. Unfortunately, the calcium that belongs in our bones is transferred to arterial walls, predisposing us to cardiovascular disease and more. Adequate intake of vitamin K2 can stop this from occurring. We now have what appears to be a highly effective strategy to keep bones strong and arteries free of dangerous plaque. As you can see, strategies that can keep bones healthy have significant impact on our cardiovascular systems as well—absolutely critical information for women with each passing decade. Although it is breast cancer that puts the fear of death into women, the fact is that women have a much greater chance of dying of heart disease. Vitamin K2 can greatly reduce your odds of developing this disease. Dr. Sinatra recommends 150 micrograms daily of the menaquinone-7 (MK-7) form of vitamin K2. This is the most absorbable and active form of vitamin K, and it seems to also play a key role in managing calcium. He has also consulted with Dr. Leon Schurgers, another Dutch researcher who has studied vitamin K2 for more than thirty years. On the basis of animal studies, Dr. Schurgers believes that a 150-microgram dose of MK-7 is the minimum amount needed to build bone and decalcify arteries. The research clearly points to vitamin K2’s critical role in cardiovascular health and calcium usage in your body. There is no doubt that vitamin K2 is highly effective at directing calcium into your bones, where it is needed, and away from your arteries, where it does not belong.

Calcium

Over the years, heavy emphasis has been placed on calcium and bone health, especially for women, even though men also experience bone loss, albeit at about half the rate of women.

Functional bone health encompasses much more than skeletal strength alone. A healthy skeleton does more than just lower our fracture risk. It is intimately involved with our health as an endocrine organ.

As such, it performs many important functions, including the production of red blood cells, immune cells (white blood cells), platelets, various growth factors, and cytokines, any of various protein molecules secreted by immune system cells that serve to regulate the immune system. Bone health also exerts an endocrine influence on the regulation of sugar homeostasis (the state of equilibrium or balance), fat storage, energy metabolism, and more.

If you really wish to be Forever Young, or at least as healthy and youthful as possible, we need to place agreat deal of emphasis on maintaining healthy bone mass during each decade of life.

Bone-Building Nutrition: Calcium Is Not a Solo Act

All of the research to date demonstrates that the best result achieved by any calcium supplement is to slow the rate of bone loss—not increase healthy bone density, as is the popular notion. This is a serious misconception that I am now going to remedy.

A review of the scientific literature reveals that a wide range of supplemental nutrients, in addition to calcium, can contribute to the maintenance or increasing of BMD. Nowhere is this clearer than in the recent research on the additional health benefits of calcium, vitamin D, and other bone-building nutrients. Although calcium accounts for only about 2 percent of body weight, it is essential to many life sustaining processes that go beyond the building and preservation of bone strength. It is intimately involved in the transmission of electrical impulses that control muscles and the regulation of heartbeats. Prior to the mid-thirties, the body extracts calcium from dietary sources and stores it in bones until it is released and absorbed through the gastrointestinal tract. As we age, this process appears to become less and less efficient. The body now needs more calcium than can be provided by the intake of commonly consumed foods and more than the bones can store. This results in a progressive decline in bone health with increased risk of fracture.

Magnesium

As the fourth most abundant mineral in the body, magnesium is essential to our good health. Approximately half of our total body magnesium is found in our bones, and the other half is distributed throughout the cells of our body tissues and organs. This essential mineral is needed for more than three hundred biochemical reactions in the body. It helps maintain normal muscle and nerve function, keeps the heart rhythm steady, supports a healthy immune system, and keeps the bones strong. Only 1 percent of magnesium is found in our blood, but the body works very hard to keep the blood levels of magnesium constant. Magnesium also helps regulate blood sugar levels, promotes normal blood pressure, and is known to be involved in energy metabolism and protein synthesis. Magnesium also plays a role in preventing and managing hypertension, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes.

THE ADVERSE EFFECTS OF DISEASE AND MEDICATIONS ON BONE HEALTH

A wide range of common diseases are known to decrease bone health, including insulin-dependent diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), celiac disease, anorexia nervosa/bulimia, COPD, endometriosis, hemophilia, hemochromatosis, stroke, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, spinal cord injuries, long-term immobilization, renal disease, endocrine disorders (including suppressive doses of thyroid hormones), Addison’s disease, Cushing’s syndrome, sarcoidosis, organ transplants, liver disease (including hepatitis and alcoholic cirrhosis), bariatric surgery, and more. A number of these disorders are either caused or contributed to by declining bone health. So it appears that there is a vicious circle working here, and one in need of a powerful cease-and-desist order. It is very disturbing that a number of popular medications being used to treat many of these disorders also contribute to bone loss. A significant body of research has found that a wide variety of medications are associated with reduced bone health in people of all ages. The list includes glucocorticoids and related immunosuppressants, antidiabetic drugs, lithium, Depo-Provera and other contraceptives, cyclooxygenase inhibitors, proton pump inhibitors (pharmaceutical antacids), total parenteral nutrition (this means not administered via the alimentary canal), aromatase inhibitors (letrozole, exemestane, anastrozole), gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonists (Lupron, Lupron Depot, LH‑RH agonists, leuprolide), immunosuppressants, anticonvulsants (phenobarbital, phenytoin), cytotoxic drugs, and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), which lead to the issue of stress and depression. The stress hormone cortisol inhibits the cells that form bone. Excess cortisol also causes many other negative effects, including the storage of abdominal fat. While stress and excess stress-induced depression have been shown to cause loss of bone mass, antidepressant medications have been shown to cause even further significant bone loss. This is another issue of special importance to women going through menopause, who experience a greater rate of depression and its related disorders and who are prime candidates for such medications. This could be a situation where the “cure” is worse than the disease. Another recent study suggests that diabetics who are being treated with thiazolidinedione, an antidiabetic drug, provided “further evidence of a possible association between long-term use of thiazolidinediones and fractures, particularly of the hip and wrist, in patients with diabetes mellitus.”

Magnesium Deficiency: We Are All at Risk

If your digestive system or kidney function is compromised, it can significantly influence magnesium status because magnesium is absorbed by the intestines and then transported through the blood to cells and tissues.

The bioavailability of magnesium is reasonable, with one-third to one-half of dietary magnesium being absorbed into your body. Gastrointestinal disorders that impair absorption, like Crohn’s disease, can limit the body’s ability to absorb magnesium.

It is interesting to note that healthy kidneys limit the urinary excretion of magnesium to compensate for low dietary intake.

However, some medications cause excessive loss of magnesium in urine as a side effect. Also, poorly controlled diabetes and alcohol abuse cause the body to lose excessive amounts of magnesium.

What Is the Best Way to Get Extra Magnesium?

You can do so by eating a variety of whole grains, legumes, and vegetables (especially dark green, leafy vegetables containing chlorophyll) to increase your dietary magnesium intake. Fish such as halibut is an excellent source, as are spinach, black beans, and pumpkin and squash seeds.

A more balanced approach is to take magnesium with your calcium supplement, as the two minerals work together in several ways to maintain balance. If you have low blood levels of magnesium, it is important that you have the cause, severity, and consequences evaluated by your doctor. If you have kidney disease, you may not be able to excrete excess magnesium and should not consume magnesium supplements unless they are prescribed by a physician.

Thanks to its calming effects on the nervous system, magnesium can help ease anxiety, relax muscles, promote stress relief, decrease levels of the stress hormone cortisol, and promote a good night’s sleep.

Vitamin D

Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin that functions as an important hormone. Vitamin D communicates to the intestines to increase the absorption of calcium by as much as 80 percent. Vitamin D is also well known for maintaining normal calcium levels. These are just a few of the extremely important functions of this essential nutrient.

In addition, other important minerals and nutrients that assist in building bone density are choline-stabilized orthosilicic acid, boron and the omega-3 essential fatty acids.

Studies show that choline-stabilized orthosilicic acid (ch-OSA™), improves the bone health benefits of both calcium and vitamin D. Ch-OSA helps build and maintain bone by regulating bone mineralization, helping to trigger the deposition of calcium and phosphate, reducing the number of osteoclasts (bone destroying cells) and increasing the number of osteoblasts (bone building cells).   

Scientific data on boron clearly shows its essential role in maintaining bones and joints in an optimal physiological state. The omega-3s offer many benefits including protection against bone loss.

Vitamin D Supplements

There are many health benefits of vitamin D, and a vitamin D supplement may be a strategy to ensure adequate levels. But what vitamin D supplement is best?

Since a large body of science shows that vitamin D works closely with calcium and magnesium, it is best to take vitamin D in combination with calcium and magnesium to maintain a proper balance. Recent literature shows that most calcium supplements have too little vitamin D to be effective. And some of them use synthetic vitamin D2. A much better form is natural vitamin D3, which stays in your system longer and with greater effect.

I want to drive home the message that you must do everything naturally possible to enhance bone health and make it your most important health priority, especially if you are nearing menopause. For all of you who have a decade or more to go before menopause, now is the time to ensure that your bones are receiving optimal nutrition to protect them now and in the future. If you are a mother with daughters, even better, as you can start them on the road to improved bone and immune health, which will provide them with a strong, healthy body.

Almost every system of the body benefits from improved bone health. In fact, improving bone health at any age seems to be an important factor in our ability to slow the clock of aging. It is not too far a stretch to say that healthy bones are the foundation of the fountain of youth—because you can’t have one without the other.

The cover price of Forever Young is $26. Member price $18.20. To order Forever Young (item # 33827) call 1-800-544-4440 or visit www.LifeExtension.com

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What's Hot

News flashes are posted here frequently to keep you up-to-date with the latest advances in health and longevity. We have an unparalleled track record of breaking stories about life extension advances.

Lifestyle improvement may be as influential as drug therapy for ED

Need for choline higher in some individuals

Increased vitamin K intake associated with lower risk of dying over 4.8 year median

Nutritious meals reduce health care expenditures in chronically ill population

Greater vitamin C intake linked with reduced risk of breast cancer mortality

Genes reflecting increased vitamin E status associated with lower prostate cancer risk

Greater lycopene intake associated with lower prostate cancer risk

“Prehypertension” associated with greater stroke risk

DHA improves children’s sleep

Calcium, vitamin D supplementation associated with improved lipid levels

High fiber diet associated with lower risk of prostate cancer

Lifestyle improvement may be as influential as drug therapy for ED

March 31 2014. An article published online in The Journal of Sexual Medicinereveals that lifestyle changes may be as good as prescription medication for treating erectile dysfunction (ED) in older men.

In an investigation of 810 men aged 30 to 80 years at the beginning of the study, Gary A. Wittert, MD, and his associates at the University of Adelaide in Australia documented the presence of erectile dysfunction in 23.2% of the subjects. During the following five year period, 31.7% developed ED, yet the condition went into remission among 29%.

Predictors of the development of ED included having a lower income, the presence of significant abdominal fat, depression, diabetes, obstructive sleep apnea, voiding lower urinary tract symptoms and other factors. Predictors of its remission included employment and the absence of lower urinary tract symptoms, angina, diabetes and disordered lipids.

"Sexual relations are not only an important part of people's wellbeing,” noted Dr Wittert, who heads the Discipline of Medicine at the University of Adelaide and is Director of the University's Freemasons Foundation Centre for Men's Health. “From a clinical point of view, the inability of some men to perform sexually can also be linked to a range of other health problems, many of which can be debilitating or potentially fatal. Our study saw a large proportion of men suffering from some form of erectile dysfunction, which is a concern. The major risk factors for this are typically physical conditions.”

"The good news is, our study also found that a large proportion of men were naturally overcoming erectile dysfunction issues,” he concluded. “The remission rate of those with erectile dysfunction was 29%, which is very high. This shows that many of these factors affecting men are modifiable, offering them an opportunity to do something about their condition."

Need for choline higher in some individuals

March 28 2014. An article published in The FASEB Journal on March 27, 2014 presents the finding of University of North Carolina researchers of a variance in the requirement for choline among people of different genders and ethnic backgrounds.

Kerry-Ann da Costa, PhD, and colleagues gave 79 men and women a ten-day diet that provided 550 milligrams (mg) choline per day, which is the Institute of Medicine’s adequate intake level. This was followed by a diet containing only 50 mg choline daily for up to six weeks, during which changes associated with the development of liver or muscle dysfunction were monitored. DNA samples were evaluated for 200 variations in ten genes related to choline metabolism in order to determine their relationship with deficiency symptoms.

The researchers observed several single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with choline deficiency-related organ dysfunction in women, as well as variants that affect choline requirements. Other SNPs were identified with muscle damage. Variation in SNPs that affect choline requirement was observed among Europeans, Mexicans, Asian Americans and people of African descent.

"Our study shows that gender, life stage and genetic makeup influence the requirement for choline in humans," stated Dr da Costa. "We hope that it will focus attention on setting the dietary recommendations at a level that is high enough to meet the needs of those with the greatest requirements for choline."

"Getting the right amount of choline is important, and also important is this study which shows that each person has unique nutritional needs," commented Gerald Weissmann, MD, who is The FASEB Journal’sEditor-in-Chief. "Today's dietary guidelines are approximations at best, and one size does not fit all. As we move toward an age of personalized medicine, studies like this should make it possible for health care professionals to judge how much of each nutrient your particular body needs."

Increased vitamin K intake associated with lower risk of dying over 4.8 year median

March 26 2014. A study reported online on March 19, 2014 in the Journal of Nutrition links higher intake of vitamin K with a lower risk of dying from any cause over a median follow-up of 4.8 years.

The study included 7,216 participants in the PREDIMED study, which sought to evaluate the protective effect of a Mediterranean diet against the risk ofcardiovascular disease in older men and women. Annual dietary questionnaire responses completed by the participants were analyzed for the intake of phylloquinone (vitamin K1) and menaquinone (vitamin K2). Over a 4.8 year median, there were 323 deaths, including 81 deaths from cardiovascular disease and 130 cancer deaths.

Adjusted analysis uncovered a 36% lower risk of dying from any cause and a 46% lower risk of dying from cancer over follow-up among those whose vitamin K1 intake was among the top 25% of participants in comparison with the lowest 25%. For those who increased their intake of vitamin K1 over follow-up, the risk of death was 43% lower and for vitamin K2, the risk was 45% less than subjects whose intake was reduced or unchanged. Improvement of vitamin K1 and K2 intake was also associated with a 36% and 59% lower risk of dying from cancer during the follow-up period.

"To our knowledge, this is the first study to evaluate the specific association of both active forms of vitamin K (vitamins K-1 and K-2), and their changes during the follow-up, with cancer mortality, cardiovascular mortality, or all-cause mortality in a prospective longitudinal study of Mediterranean individuals at high cardiovascular disease risk and using repeated measurements of dietary intake," the authors announce. "The results of the present study show, for the first time, an inverse association between an increased intake of both dietary phylloquinone and menaquinone, and cancer mortality or all-cause mortality."

Nutritious meals reduce health care expenditures in chronically ill population

March 24 2014. The October 4, 2013 issue of the Journal of Primary Care & Community Health published an article by researchers affiliated with Philadelphia’s Metropolitan Area Neighborhood Nutrition Alliance (MANNA) and Drexel University School of Public Health which reports a health savings benefit for nutritious meal delivery to men and women with chronic ailments.

The study compared 65 MANNA clients with 633 Medicaid patients with chronic illnesses who did not receive the services. Chronic conditions included AIDS/HIV, cancer, diabetes, congestive heart failure, dementia and more. Subjects in the MANNA group received three nutritionally balanced meals per day that employed Medical Nutrition Therapy (MNT) to improve nutritional status, disease-fighting ability and quality of life. Health care costs for all participants were assessed for the six months prior to and twelve months following the beginning of the meal deliveries.

Average monthly health care costs and other factors including inpatient costs and hospital admissions decreased among the MANNA clients during the three months after the meal service was initiated.  In the months after receiving the meals, the group’s monthly healthcare costs were an average of 31% lower than costs incurred by participants who did not receive the meals. In addition, inpatient stays among the meal recipients were half as frequent and averaged six days fewer than those of the comparison group.

“The findings of this study are consistent with prior research showing that nutrition is an integral part of disease management,” authors Jill Gurvey and colleagues write. “Chronically ill patients with several comorbid conditions have complicated nutritional needs that may be challenging for patients or their caretakers to adhere to without additional support.”

“We believe that investigating the importance of programs that address optimizing nutrient needs for chronically ill patients should be acknowledged as an essential cost-effective intervention for improving health,” they conclude.

Greater vitamin C intake linked with reduced risk of breast cancer mortality

March 21 2014. The results of a meta-analysis conducted by researchers at Sweden’s Karolinska Institutet indicate improved survival among women with breast cancer who had a higher intake of vitamin C from supplements or food sources. The findings were reported online on March 7, 2014 in the European Journal of Cancer.

For their analysis, Holly R. Harris and her colleagues selected nine reports describing ten observational studies that included a total of 17,696 women diagnosed with breast cancer, among whom there were 1,558 deaths attributable to the disease and 2,791 total deaths. Studies examined the effect of supplementing with vitamin C following breast cancer diagnosis and/or the effect of vitamin C obtained in the diet.

When the studies that reported the effects of vitamin C supplements were evaluated, their use was associated with a 19% lower risk of total mortality and a 15% lower risk of dying from breast cancer in comparison with no use. Analysis of vitamin C from food sources uncovered a 27% lower risk of mortality and a 22% lower risk of breast cancer death in association with each 100 milligram per day increase. Comparison of high versus low dietary intake resulted in a 20% lower risk of dying and a 23% reduction in the risk of breast cancer mortality among women whose intake was categorized as high.

“To our knowledge this is the first meta-analysis to combine the limited number of published studies available on vitamin C supplement intake and dietary vitamin C intake and survival following breast cancer diagnosis,” the authors announce. “More studies of post-diagnosis supplement use, including vitamin C, are warranted to further our understanding of how their intake during chemotherapy or radiation therapy may influence breast cancer outcomes.”

Genes reflecting increased vitamin E status associated with lower prostate cancer risk

March 17 2014. An article appearing ahead of print on March 12, 2014 in theJournal of Nutrition reveals a lower risk of prostate cancer in men with genetic variants indicative of higher vitamin E status. “Genetic variants in genes involved in vitamin E transport or metabolism may be important determinants of potential beneficial effects of vitamin E supplementation on prostate cancer risk,” Jacqueline M. Major and her associates at the National Cancer Institute note in their introduction to the report.

The study included participants in the Prostate, Lung, Colorectal, and Ovarian Cancer Screening Trial, which enrolled over 155,000 men and women between 1993 and 2001. The current investigation compared 483 men diagnosed with prostate cancer and 542 matched control subjects who had genotype data on three vitamin E-related variants available.

The researchers found that the presence a specific single nucleotide polymorphism was associated with a 25% lower risk of prostate cancer in comparison with the more common genotype, and that another variant conferred a reduction in risk that approached statistical significance. As potential mechanisms for vitamin E against prostate cancer, the authors emphasize its antioxidant properties that can protect against oxidative damage or inhibit lipid peroxidation within the cells. They also discuss the vitamin’s modifying effect on inflammation.

“To our knowledge, no previous study has examined the association between these genome-wide association study (GWAS) identified vitamin E–associated genetic variants and prostate cancer risk,” Dr Major and her colleagues announce. “These findings support the hypothesis that the variant allele may enhance antioxidant enzyme activity or other functions; however, more research is needed to substantiate this finding.”

“Prehypertension” associated with greater stroke risk

March 12 2014. The results of a meta-analysis published online on March 12, 2014 in the journal Neurology® reveal that any blood pressure reading above what is currently considered normal is associated with an increased risk of stroke. Blood pressure is classified as normal if the systolic reading is 120 and the diastolic is 80 mmHg, however, many authorities believe that a blood pressure that is lower than 120/80 is optimal.

Dingli Xu, MD, of Southern Medical University in Guangzhou, China and colleagues selected 19 cohort studies including a total of over 760,000 men and women for their analysis. They compared individuals who had normal blood pressure with those considered to have prehypertension, defined as a reading between 120/80 and 140/90 mmHg. The prehypertension group, who comprised up to 54% of the studies’ participants, was subdivided into those with blood pressure higher and lower than 130/85 mmHg.

The team found that subjects in the high range of prehypertension had a 95% greater risk of developing a stroke over follow-up periods ranging from four to 36 years in comparison with those who had normal blood pressure, and that those in the low prehypertension group had a 44% greater risk. "These findings, if confirmed, have important takeaways for the public," Dr Xu stated. "Considering the high proportion of the population who have higher than normal blood pressure, successful treatment of this condition could prevent many strokes and make a major difference in public health."

"Prehypertension should be managed with changes in diet and exercise to help reduce the risk of stroke," he recommended. "More research should be done on using blood pressure drugs for people with prehypertension."

DHA improves children’s sleep

March 10 2014. The results of a study described in an article published in theJournal of Sleep Research reveal an association between higher levels of the omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and bettersleep in children.

In a pilot study of 362 primary school students aged seven to nine years, Professor Paul Montgomery of Oxford University and his colleagues found that supplementation with 600 milligrams DHA per day for 16 weeks improved sleep in a sampling of participants who were rated by their parents as sleeping poorly. Those who received DHA experienced seven fewer waking episodes and nearly an hour more sleep than those who received placebos.

When blood fatty acid levels were evaluated, the researchers found an association with higher levels of DHA and less bedtime resistance, parasomnias and total sleep disturbances. Having a higher ratio of DHA to arachidonic acid was also associated with better sleep.

“Various substances made within the body from omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids have long been known to play key roles in the regulation of sleep,” Dr Montgomery explained. “For example, lower ratios of DHA have been linked with lower levels of melatonin, and that would fit with our finding that sleep problems are greater in children with lower levels of DHA in their blood.”

“Previous studies we have published showed that blood levels of omega-3 DHA in this general population sample of 7-9 year olds were alarmingly low overall, and this could be directly related to the children's behavior and learning,” noted study coauthor Dr Alex Richardson. “Poor sleep could well help to explain some of those associations.”

“This randomized controlled trial does suggest that children's sleep can be improved by DHA supplements and indicates yet another benefit of higher levels of omega-3 in the diet,” he concluded.

Calcium, vitamin D supplementation associated with improved lipid levels

March 7 2014. An article scheduled to be published in the August 2014 issue ofMenopause, the journal of The North American Menopause Society, will report findings gleaned from the Women’s Health Initiative CaD trial of improved lipid levels among participants supplemented with calcium and vitamin D.

North American Menopause Society Board of Trustees member Peter F. Schnatz, DO, NCMP, and his colleagues compared serum lipid levels of over 600 participants who received a placebo or 1,000 milligrams calcium plus 400 international units (IU) vitamin D3 over the course of the trial. In addition to being twice as likely to have vitamin D levels of 30 nanograms per milliliter (ng/mL) or more, women who received calcium and vitamin D had levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) that averaged 4 to 5 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL) lower than those who received a placebo. Subjects who received calcium plus vitamin D also had greater levels of beneficial high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol levels  than the placebo group. Older age, having a low intake of the nutrients prior to the study, not smoking and consuming less alcohol in comparison with the remainder of the participants were associated with a greater increase in serum vitamin D.

Furthermore, among those whose vitamin D levels were 15 ng/mL or higher, calcium and vitamin D supplementation was associated with lower levels of triglycerides. 

“The results of this study should inspire even more women to be conscientious about their calcium and vitamin D intake—a simple and safe way to improve health," noted North American Menopause Society Executive Director Margery Gass, MD. "One action can lead to multiple benefits!”

High fiber diet associated with lower risk of prostate cancer

March 3 2014. An article published online on February 19, 2014 in the Journal of Nutrition reveals the finding of French researchers of a reduction in the risk ofprostate cancer over a 12.6 year median among men with a high intake of insoluble fiber. 

The analysis included 3,313 men who enrolled in the Supplémentation en Vitamines et Minéraux Antioxydants (SU.VI.MAX) study in 1994. Dietary records completed on at least three occasions from 1994 to 2002 were analyzed for the quantity, source and type of fiber consumed. The subjects were followed until 2007, during which 139 men developed a first primary prostate cancer.

Among participants whose intake of fiber was among the top 25% of participants, there was a 53% lower risk of developing prostate cancer in comparison with those in the lowest 25%.  When fiber was analyzed by type, insoluble fiber emerged as protective, and when analyzed by source, fiber from legumes had a significant protective effect.  The associations tended to be slightly stronger in men with alcohol intake greater than the median of the population.

Authors Mélanie Deschasaux and colleagues list reductions in inflammation, insulin resistance and hyperinsulinemia, and androgenic or estrogenic hormones as potential protective mechanisms for increased dietary fiber against prostate carcinogenesis. “Dietary fiber may reduce concentrations of circulating estrogens and androgens, notably through increased serum hormone binding globulin concentration, modified enterohepatic circulation of steroid hormones, and increased fecal excretion of these hormones, resulting from binding to insoluble fibers,” they write.

“These results suggest a potentially protective involvement of dietary fiber intake in prostate carcinogenesis,” they conclude. “This must be confirmed by additional mechanistic and prospective epidemiologic studies, especially taking into account the grade of prostate cancers.”

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The Remarkable Anticancer Properties of Vitamin K

For most of mankind’s existence, scientists wallowed in lethal ignorance regarding the critical need for humans to supplement with enough vitamin D.

We fear the same knowledge deficit exists today regarding vitamin K.

This post is on Healthwise

Life Extension Magazine November 2010

REPORT

The Remarkable Anticancer Properties of Vitamin K

By Felix DiFara

For most of mankind’s existence, scientists wallowed in lethal ignorance regarding the critical need for humans to supplement with enough vitamin D. We fear the same knowledge deficit exists today regarding vitamin K. In this article, you will discover remarkable findings on vitamin K and its rapidly emerging anti-cancer profile. You’ll learn of newly identified mechanisms by which vitamin K exerts its potent effects. You will also understand why interest is growing among scientists and even some mainstream physicians about vitamin K’s role in combating cancer at multiple stages. Vitamin K: A New Frontier in Cancer Prevention Vitamin K2 (menaquinone) has been shown to safely suppress growth and invasion of human hepatocellular carcinoma, a common and deadly form of liver cancer.1,2 It exerts multiple effects on these tumors, modifying growth factors and their receptor molecules in a way that makes them less able to stimulate tumor growth and progression.2-4 It freezes the cell cycle, blocking further replication.5 And it triggers programmed cell death by apoptosis through several distinctive mechanisms.6 Lab studies demonstrate tremendous potential for vitamin K in many other cancer types as well.7 Vitamin K2 induces certain kinds of human leukemia cells to differentiate, or turn into normal white blood cells.8 In cells from certain brain tumors, in stomach cancer, and in colorectal cancer lines, vitamin K halts the reproductive cell cycle and induces apoptosis.9-11 Vitamin K also triggers a DNA-degrading protein that cancer cells normally suppress; thereby preventing tumor cells from repairing themselves effectively.12 Lung cancers are notoriously aggressive and difficult to treat. In several different types of lung cancer, including small cell, squamous cell, and adenocarcinomas, vitamin K induces apoptosis through activation of a “suicide protein.”13 Clinical trials of newer chemotherapy agents have been disappointing, but when vitamin K was added to one newer drug, imatinib mesylate, it rapidly suppressed growth in all lung cancer cell lines tested.14 Vitamin K exhibits similarly synergistic effects in bladder and liver cancers as well.15,16 A unique mechanism of vitamin K’s activity is so-called “oncosis,” a form of stress-activated ischemic cell death to which tumor cells are particularly susceptible.17 Because of their high growth rate, tumor cells consume vast amounts of glucose. And because they can rapidly outgrow their blood supplies, that high metabolism means they use up oxygen rapidly, making them especially vulnerable to oxidant stress—much more so than the healthy tissues around them. Vitamin K targets tumor cells for destruction by stimulating oxidative stress, without toxicity to healthy tissues.18 Another unique mechanism, demonstrated recently in bile duct cancers and leukemia, is autophagy, in which cancer cells essentially “eat” themselves by releasing their own digestive enzymes internally.19,20 By still another unique mechanism, vitamins C and K in combination contribute to cancer cell death by autoschizis, whereby cells simply split open, spilling their contents.21 Finally, three of vitamin K’s synergistic anticancer mechanisms have recently been identified. Vitamin K3 inhibits DNA-building enzymes.22 Vitamins K2 and K3 block new blood vessel formation essential to support the rapid growth of tumor tissue.22-24 And vitamin K3 disrupts crucial intracellular communications networks composed of microtubules, preventing the cells from proliferating in a coordinated fashion.25 WHY ARE DOCTORS SO SLOW TO CATCH ON? Despite more than 2.4 million papers published on cancer research to date, conventional medicine has largely failed to identify safe, low-cost, effective methods of cancer intervention and prevention.1 At the core of the problem is a pervasive arrogance and apathy within the field of oncology. Physicians unquestioningly rely on cookie-cutter treatments (chemotherapy, radiation) that do as much harm as good—and sometimes inflict hideous suffering on patients without improving their chances for survival. Worse, this “one-size-fits-all” mentality bars admittance to novel findings on nutritional strategies that combat cancer at multiple stages in its development. Don’t expect to hear much from your doctor about vitamin K. It may be ten years before the medical establishment catches on to the remarkable properties of this low-cost nutrient. Liver and Prostate Cancer: Improving Survival Rates Vitamin K’s promise in managing a variety of advanced solid tumors has been established in vitro and in animal studies, with benefits shown in lung cancers but not in gastrointestinal cancers, when combined with traditional chemotherapy.26,27 Other studies had already demonstrated that massive doses of vitamin K2, up to more than 2.5 grams given IV per day, were safe and caused no enhancement of the chemotherapy toxicity.28 Additional positive findings came in the form of two case reports, also from Japan. In the first, a 72 year-old woman with leukemia who had failed standard therapy experienced complete remission after vitamin K2 was added to her therapeutic regimen.29 In the second, an 85 year-old man with hepatocellular carcinoma after hepatitis C infection chose to take vitamin K but no chemotherapy.30 His tumor markedly regressed by CT scan, and his tumor markers in blood all normalized. A study from Uruguay demonstrated that serum markers in a group of prostate cancer patients indicated tumor cell destruction following supplementation with vitamins C and K.31 Recently published studies have revealed vitamin K’s power to reduce recurrence of liver cancer—extending and even saving lives. The first reported on 61 patients documented to be free of their cancers following surgical treatment. Thirty-two were assigned to receive a vitamin K2 analogue called menatetrenone, while 29 received placebo.32 The supplemented group had recurrence of tumors of 12.5% at 12 months, 39.0% at 24 months, and 64.3% at 36 months. In the control group the recurrence rates were significantly higher: 55.2%, 83.2%, and 91.6%, respectively. And 100% of the supplemented group survived a full year, with 87% still alive at 36 months; among controls those numbers were 96.4% and a dismal 64%, respectively. WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: VITAMIN K AND CANCER Cancer remains a deadly threat for millions of aging Americans, despite decades of aggressive research. Standard cancer medications can only help after a cancer is discovered, and even then they are limited by toxicity. Standard cancer treatments attack only one or a few biochemical steps in the long cascade of events leading to tumor development. Long associated only with blood clotting, vitamin K is now known to have effects on tissues throughout the body, including most of the steps leading up to cancer. Recent discoveries about vitamin K illustrate the tremendous breadth of its targets, spanning virtually every phase in cancer’s deadly progress. A solid base of laboratory science is complemented by compelling clinical evidence that vitamin K can prevent, and in some cases treat, a variety of common and dangerous cancers. In a smaller study with 45 patients,33 rates of recurrence were only 33.3% in patients treated with vitamin K compared with 50% in controls. And survival rates tended to be modestly higher in treated patients. A 2007 study provided some additional support, showing a significant reduction in tumor recurrence, but not survival rates, over a 3-year period in supplemented patients.34 More studies are needed. Vitamin K2 also induces MDS cells to differentiate into healthy white blood cells Studies of combination therapies have now provided strong evidence favoring vitamin K2 both in liver and prostate cancer. A group of US urologists studied the combination of vitamin K3, 50 mg per day, plus vitamin C at 5,000 mg per day in treating prostate cancer patients who had failed standard therapy.35They showed that treatment significantly decreased the velocity of rise in PSA, the serum marker of disease, while increasing the time it took for PSA levels to double. And only one patient in this group of advanced cancer patients died in the 14 months of treatment. This finding demonstrates vitamin K’s disease-fighting credentials in a particularly compelling fashion, when combined with another readily available supplement. The combination of vitamin K2 plus a drug in the ACE-inhibitor category (both of which reduce tumor blood vessel growth) also produced a marked decrease in recurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma.36 The same research group showed that they could use that combination to stop a precancerous nodule from developing into liver cancer in a patient with hepatitis C-related cirrhosis.37 Vitamin K2 in Action: The Case of Myelodysplastic Syndrome “Myelodysplastic syndrome” (MDS) is a disorder related to leukemia; in fact it was formerly known as “pre-leukemia.”38,39 In patients with MDS, the bone marrow begins churning out increasingly young white blood cells of various kinds. In most cases it goes on to full-blown leukemia, with all of the disastrous consequences of that disease. But unlike leukemia, MDS cells, at least early on, can be induced to develop into mature normal blood cells.39,40 And that’s where vitamin K comes in. Vitamin K treatment of bone marrow cells from MDS patients potently induces apoptosis (programmed cell death) of the leukemic cells, with the effect much more prominent on blast cells than on mature white cells.41,42 Vitamin K2 also induces MDS cells to differentiate into healthy white blood cells, even when full-blown leukemia has developed.43 Successful therapy of MDS with vitamin K2 was first reported in 1999, in an 80-year-old woman with persistent anemia from the disease. Prior to treatment she had required regular blood transfusions; 14 months later she was independent of them.44 Similar benefits were found in a small group of MDS patients with refractory anemia in 2002.45 And some improvements were also found in MDS patients with low white blood counts compared with those receiving no treatment.46 The combination of vitamin K2 with vitamin D3 achieved good differentiation in a lab study of leukemia cells, suggesting that it might be effective therapy for both MDS and leukemia.47 In a clinical study in mid-2010, the addition of vitamin D3 to vitamin K2 more than doubled the response rate of MDS patients with refractory anemia and low white blood counts, from 13% to 30%. Those are big numbers for conditions traditionally difficult to treat with standard chemotherapy!48 WHY YOU NEED VITAMIN K: THE TRIAGE THEORY Bruce Ames of the Children’s Hospital in Oakland, CA, is noted for substantive, evidence-based reflections on cancer and the human condition. Together with colleague Joyce McCann, Ames has developed the so-called “Triage Theory,” which has surprising relevance to our discussion of Vitamin K and cancer.49 According to the theory, the body prioritizes micronutrient use, favoring functions required for short-term survival over those needed for longevity. Ames and McCann recently applied this thinking to the many newly-discovered roles of vitamin K in our bodies, including cancer prevention. Here’s an example: our cave-dwelling predecessors were constantly threatened by large predators (think saber-toothed tigers). Get mauled by one of those big cats, and you’d better have good blood clotting systems if you’re going to survive. You’d need at least enough vitamin K to prevent bleeding to death. But your chances of living to a ripe old age—hungry felines or otherwise—was quite low in those days. So it didn’t really matter if you had enough vitamin K on board to prevent cancer—you just weren’t going to get that old. The reality in today’s world is rather different, when in the absence of a bad accident most of us are quite safe from bleeding to death. So if we get only enough vitamin K to assure proper blood coagulation, we’ll not get nearly enough to prevent cancer and other chronic conditions, such as osteoporosis or atherosclerosis, that rarely threatened our ancestors. McCann and Ames concluded their 2009 summary of this idea as follows: “much of the population… may not receive sufficient vitamin K for optimal function of vitamin K-dependent proteins that are important to maintain long-term health.” Summary Cancer remains a deadly threat for millions of aging Americans, despite decades of aggressive research. Standard cancer medications can only help after a cancer is discovered, and even then they are limited by toxicity. Standard cancer treatments attack only one or a few biochemical steps in the long cascade of events leading to tumor development. Long associated only with blood clotting, vitamin K is now known to have effects on tissues throughout the body, including most of the steps leading up to cancer. Recent discoveries about vitamin K illustrate the tremendous breadth of its targets, spanning virtually every phase in cancer’s deadly progress. A solid base of laboratory science is complemented by compelling clinical evidence that vitamin K can prevent, and in some cases treat, a variety of common and dangerous cancers. If you have any questions on the scientific content of this article, please call a Life Extension® Health Advisor at 1-866-864-3027.

References

1. Mizuta T, Ozaki I. Clinical application of vitamin K for hepatocellular carcinoma. Clin Calcium. 2007 Nov;17(11):1693-9. 2. Otsuka M, Kato N, Shao RX, et al. Vitamin K2 inhibits the growth and invasiveness of hepatocellular carcinoma cells via protein kinase A activation. Hepatology. 2004 Jul;40(1):243-51. 3. Nishikawa Y, Wang Z, Kerns J, Wilcox CS, Carr BI. Inhibition of hepatoma cell growth in vitro by arylating and non-arylating K vitamin analogs. Significance of protein tyrosine phosphatase inhibition. J Biol Chem. 1999 Dec 3;274(49):34803-10. 4. Yamamoto T, Nakamura H, Liu W, et al. Involvement of hepatoma-derived growth factor in the growth inhibition of hepatocellular carcinoma cells by vitamin K(2). J Gastroenterol. 2009;44(3):228-35. 5. Kuriyama S, Hitomi M, Yoshiji H, et al. Vitamins K2, K3 and K5 exert in vivo antitumor effects on hepatocellular carcinoma by regulating the expression of G1 phase-related cell cycle molecules. Int J Oncol. 2005 Aug;27(2):505-11. 6. Matsumoto K, Okano J, Nagahara T, Murawaki Y. Apoptosis of liver cancer cells by vitamin K2 and enhancement by MEK inhibition. Int J Oncol. 2006 Dec;29(6):1501-8. 7. Kim HJ, Mun JY, Chun YJ, Choi KH, Ham SW, Kim MY. Effects of a naphthoquinone analog on tumor growth and apoptosis induction. Arch Pharm Res. 2003 May;26(5):405-10. 8. Sakai I, Hashimoto S, Yoda M, et al. Novel role of vitamin K2: a potent inducer of differentiation of various human myeloid leukemia cell lines. Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 1994 Dec 15;205(2):1305-10. 9. Sun L, Yoshii Y, Miyagi K, Ishida A. Proliferation inhibition of glioma cells by vitamin K2. No Shinkei Geka. 1999 Feb;27(2):119-25. 10. Tokita H, Tsuchida A, Miyazawa K, et al. Vitamin K2-induced antitumor effects via cell-cycle arrest and apoptosis in gastric cancer cell lines. Int J Mol Med. 2006 Feb;17(2):235-43. 11. Ogawa M, Nakai S, Deguchi A, et al. 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Basis for their potential use as coadjuvants in anticancer therapy. Eur J Med Chem. 2003 May;38(5):451-7. 22. Matsubara K, Kayashima T, Mori M, Yoshida H, Mizushina Y. Inhibitory effects of vitamin K3 on DNA polymerase and angiogenesis. Int J Mol Med. 2008 Sep;22(3):381-7. 23. Taper HS. Altered deoxyribonuclease activity in cancer cells and its role in non toxic adjuvant cancer therapy with mixed vitamins C and K3. Anticancer Res. 2008 Sep-Oct;28(5A):2727-32. 24. Yoshiji H, Kuriyama S, Noguchi R, et al. Combination of vitamin K2 and the angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor, perindopril, attenuates the liver enzyme-altered preneoplastic lesions in rats via angiogenesis suppression. J Hepatol. 2005 May;42(5):687-93. 25. Acharya BR, Choudhury D, Das A, Chakrabarti G. Vitamin K3 disrupts the microtubule networks by binding to tubulin: a novel mechanism of its antiproliferative activity. Biochemistry. 2009 Jul 28;48(29):6963-74. 26. Tetef M, Margolin K, Ahn C, et al. Mitomycin C and menadione for the treatment of lung cancer: a phase II trial. Invest New Drugs. 1995;13(2):157-62. 27. Tetef M, Margolin K, Ahn C, et al. Mitomycin C and menadione for the treatment of advanced gastrointestinal cancers: a phase II trial. J Cancer Res Clin Oncol. 1995;121(2):103-6. 28. Margolin KA, Akman SA, Leong LA, et al. Phase I study of mitomycin C and menadione in advanced solid tumors. Cancer Chemother Pharmacol. 1995;36(4):293-8. 29. Fujita H, Tomiyama J, Tanaka T. Vitamin K2 combined with all-trans retinoic acid induced complete remission of relapsing acute promyelocytic leukaemia. Br J Haematol. 1998 Nov;103(2):584-5. 30. Nouso K, Uematsu S, Shiraga K, et al. Regression of hepatocellular carcinoma during vitamin K administration. World J Gastroenterol. 2005 Nov 14;11(42):6722-4. 31. Lasalvia-Prisco E, Cucchi S, Vazquez J, Lasalvia-Galante E, Golomar W, Gordon W. Serum markers variation consistent with autoschizis induced by ascorbic acid-menadione in patients with prostate cancer. Med Oncol. 2003;20(1):45-52. 32. Mizuta T, Ozaki I, Eguchi Y, et al. The effect of menatetrenone, a vitamin K2 analog, on disease recurrence and survival in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma after curative treatment: a pilot study. Cancer. 2006 Feb 15;106(4):867-72. 33. Hotta N, Ayada M, Sato K, et al. Effect of vitamin K2 on the recurrence in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma. Hepatogastroenterology. 2007 Oct-Nov;54(79):2073-7. 34. Kakizaki S, Sohara N, Sato K, et al. Preventive effects of vitamin K on recurrent disease in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma arising from hepatitis C viral infection. J Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2007 Apr;22(4):518-22. 35. Tareen B, Summers JL, Jamison JM, et al. A 12 week, open label, phase I/IIa study using apatone for the treatment of prostate cancer patients who have failed standard therapy. Int J Med Sci. 2008;5(2):62-7. 36. Yoshiji H, Noguchi R, Toyohara M, et al. Combination of vitamin K2 and angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor ameliorates cumulative recurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma. J Hepatol. 2009 Aug;51(2):315-21. 37. Yoshiji H, Noguchi R, Yamazaki M, et al. Combined treatment of vitamin K2 and angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor ameliorates hepatic dysplastic nodule in a patient with liver cirrhosis. World J Gastroenterol. 2007 Jun 21;13(23):3259-61. 38. Fisher WB, Armentrout SA, Weisman R, Jr., Graham RC, Jr. “Preleukemia”. A myelodysplastic syndrome often terminating in acute leukemia. Arch Intern Med. 1973 Aug;132(2):226-32. 39. Albitar M, Manshouri T, Shen Y, et al. Myelodysplastic syndrome is not merely “preleukemia”. Blood. 2002 Aug 1;100(3):791-8. 40. Cazzola M, Malcovati L. Prognostic classification and risk assessment in myelodysplastic syndromes. Hematol Oncol Clin North Am. 2010 Apr;24(2):459-68. 41. Yaguchi M, Miyazawa K, Otawa M, et al. Vitamin K2 selectively induces apoptosis of blastic cells in myelodysplastic syndrome: flow cytometric detection of apoptotic cells using APO2.7 monoclonal antibody. Leukemia. 1998 Sep;12(9):1392-7. 42. Nishimaki J, Miyazawa K, Yaguchi M, et al. Vitamin K2 induces apoptosis of a novel cell line established from a patient with myelodysplastic syndrome in blastic transformation. Leukemia. 1999 Sep;13(9):1399-405. 43. Miyazawa K, Yaguchi M, Funato K, et al. Apoptosis/differentiation-inducing effects of vitamin K2 on HL-60 cells: dichotomous nature of vitamin K2 in leukemia cells. Leukemia. 2001 Jul;15(7):1111-7. 44. Takami A, Nakao S, Ontachi Y, Yamauchi H, Matsuda T. Successful therapy of myelodysplastic syndrome with menatetrenone, a vitamin K2 analog. Int J Hematol. 1999 Jan;69(1):24-6. 45. Abe Y, Muta K, Hirase N, et al. Vitamin K2 therapy for myelodysplastic syndrome. Rinsho Ketsueki. 2002 Feb;43(2):117-21. 46. Takami A, Asakura H, Nakao S. Menatetrenone, a vitamin K2 analog, ameliorates cytopenia in patients with refractory anemia of myelodysplastic syndrome. Ann Hematol. 2002 Jan;81(1):16-9. 47. Iguchi T, Miyazawa K, Asada M, Gotoh A, Mizutani S, Ohyashiki K. Combined treatment of leukemia cells with vitamin K2 and 1alpha,25-dihydroxy vitamin D3 enhances monocytic differentiation along with becoming resistant to apoptosis by induction of cytoplasmic p21CIP1. Int J Oncol. 2005 Oct;27(4):893-900. 48. Akiyama N, Miyazawa K, Kanda Y, et al. Multicenter phase II trial of vitamin K(2) monotherapy and vitamin K(2) plus 1alpha-hydroxyvitamin D(3) combination therapy for low-risk myelodysplastic syndromes. Leuk Res. 2010 Sep;34(9):1151-7. 49. 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. http://www.lef.org/Magazine/2010/11/The-Remarkable-Anticancer-Properties-of-Vitamin-K/Page-01

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