Combined Vitamin D-K-Calcium Supplementation Improves Health Status of Women With Polycystic Ovary Syndrome

Written by Angeline A. De Leon. Vitamin D-K-Calcium supplementation had a significantly beneficial effect on serum free testosterone levels, and indices of oxidative stress, namely DHEAS, MDA, and TAC.

Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) is a common hormonal-metabolic disease that affects 5-10% of women of reproductive age ¹. Characterized by an imbalance of the female sex hormones estrogen and progesterone, the syndrome typically involves excess production of androgen (the male sex hormone) and insulin (associated with increased androgen production), and is commonly accompanied by enlargement of the ovaries, along with cyst formations ². Although the exact cause of PCOS is yet unknown, emerging evidence suggests that elevated levels of inflammatory cytokines and biomarkers of oxidative stress may contribute to its pathogenesis ³, leading to increased susceptibility to metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes, and ovulatory dysfunction in patients with PCOS ⁴. More recently, studies have supported a potential utility for dietary supplementation with vitamins and other trace minerals during the PCOS disease course. Pal et al. (2012), for example, showed that combined supplementation with vitamin D (linked to control of human reproductive processes ⁵ and calcium (involved in development of ovary cells ⁶ can significantly reduce total testosterone levels and improve biomarkers of inflammation in PCOS patients ^7,8. Vitamin K is also thought to improve hormone profiles by reducing oxidative stress and enhancing insulin resistance ^9,10. Based on this research, investigators in Iran (2016) designed a study to examine the effects of vitamin D-K-calcium co-supplementation on endocrine function and biomarkers of inflammation and oxidative stress in women with PCOS.

A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial was performed with a group of 60 vitamin D-deficient women (aged 18-40 years) diagnosed with PCOS. Subjects were randomly divided into 2 groups, with one group instructed to take orally 200 IU vitamin D, 90 µg vitamin K, plus 500 mg calcium, and the other a placebo capsule twice daily for 8 weeks. Pre- and post-intervention, biomarkers of endocrine function, inflammation, and oxidative stress were quantified based on fasting blood samples.

Analyses revealed the following key findings for vitamin-D-K-calcium co-supplementation, compared with placebo:

1. A significant reduction in serum-free testosterone (-2.1+/-1.6 vs. +0.1+/-1.0 pg/ml, p < 0.001)
2. A significant reduction in levels of an endogenous steroid hormone, dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS), (-0.8+/-1.0 vs. -0.1+/-0.5 µg/ml, p = 0.006);
3. A significant elevation in plasma total antioxidant capacity (TAC), representing antioxidant response against free radicals) (+75.7+/-126.1 vs. -80.4+/-242.8 mmol/l, p = 0.005),
4. Aa significant reduction in plasma malondialdehyde concentrations (MDA), an indicator of lipid peroxidation/oxidative stress) (+0.03+/-0.6 vs. +1.4+/-2.4 µmol/l, p = 0.005).

Although, supplementation with vitamin D, vitamin K, and calcium failed to significantly affect other endocrine profiles and inflammatory markers studied in the trial, it showed notable beneficial effects on testosterone levels and indices of oxidative stress in patients with PCOS. Further studies are needed to examine both the individual and synergistic effects of D-K-calcium supplementation in the context of endocrine/metabolic diseases.

Source: Razavi M, Jamilian M, Karamali M. The effects of vitamin d-k-calcium co-supplementation on endocrine, inflammation, and oxidative stress biomarkers in vitamin d-deficient women with polycystic ovary syndrome: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Horm Metab Res; 2016; 48(7): 446-451. DOI: 10.1055/s-0042-104060.

© 2017 Georg Thieme Verlag KG

Posted August 7, 2017. 

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