Written by Jessica Patella, ND. 82 pre-diabetic and pre-menopausal women who took four weeks of Vitamin K supplementation, significantly decreased insulin and glucose levels and significantly increased adiponectin concentration compared with placebo.
An estimated 29.1 million people in the United States have diabetes and 89 million have pre-diabetes (2). That equates to 1 in 3 US adults with pre-diabetes, which is important to note because diabetes increases the risk of death by 50% and costs $245 billon each year (2). Regulating blood sugar and insulin levels can help prevent pre-diabetes from becoming diabetes. Recent research has found that supplementing with vitamin K1 can improve glycemic control of both blood sugar and insulin levels in pre-diabetic pre-menopausal women (1).
Vitamin K is a fat soluble vitamin, which is mostly known for aiding in bone health (1). Recent research has shown that vitamin K can help reduce insulin resistance and improve glycemic (sugar) levels (1, 3). Yet, it is still unclear how vitamin K improves insulin and blood sugar levels. The recent research investigated vitamin K in relation to adiponectin, a protein found in fat cells that helps regulate glycemic levels (1, 4).
The research included 82 pre-diabetic*, pre-menopausal women with an average age of 40.17 years, weight of 156.2 pounds and Body Mass Index (BMI) of 28.08 kg/m2 (1). The women were randomly assigned to either a placebo group (n=43) or a vitamin K group (Phylloquinone 1000mg, n=39) and took one capsule daily for 4 weeks (1).
Four weeks of supplementation, vitamin K significantly decreased insulin and glucose levels and significantly increased adiponectin concentration compared with placebo. The following changes from baseline were observed:
| Glucose Level (2-hr post-OGTT**) | Insulin Level (2-hr post-OGTT) | Adiponectin Concentration | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vitamin K Group | -10.87 +/- 27.41 mg/dL | -17.46 +/- 44.97 microIU/ml | 1.24 +/- 1.90 microg/ml |
| Placebo Group | 1.20 +/- 18.63 mg/dL | 5.88 +/- 23.65 microIU/ml | -0.27 +/- 1.08 microg/ml |
In conclusion, supplementing with vitamin K improved the glycemic status in pre-diabetic, pre-menopausal women. Although the mechanism of action is still not fully understood, this study was the first to explore the connection of vitamin K and the effects of adiponectin in pre-diabetic, pre-menopausal women (1).
*Pre-diabetes was diagnosed according to the criteria of the American Diabetes Association (fasting glucose over 100, random glucose test over 140, or 2 hour oral glucose tolerance test over 200 at the 2 hour mark).
Source: Rasekhi, Hamid, et al. “Phylloquinone supplementation improves glycemic status independent of the effects of adiponectin levels in premonopause women with prediabetes: a double-blind randomized controlled clinical trial.” Journal of Diabetes & Metabolic Disorders 14.1 (2015): 1.
© 2015 Rasekhi et al.; licensee BioMed Central. Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0)
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Posted March 19, 2015.
Jessica Patella, ND, is a naturopathic physician specializing in nutrition and homeopathic medicine and offers a holistic approach to health. She earned her ND from Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine in Tempe, AZ, and is a member of the North Carolina Association of Naturopathic Physicians. Visit her website at www.awarenesswellness.com.
References:
- Rasekhi H, et al. Phylloquinone supplementation improves glycemic status independent of the effects of adiponectin levels in pre menopause women with prediabetes: a double-blind randomized controlled clinical trial. Journal of Diabetes & Metabolic Disorders (2015) 14:1 DOI:10.1186/s40200-014-0127-9
- 2014 National Diabetes Statistics Report. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
- Beulens JW, et al. Dietary phylloquinone and menaquinones intakes and risk of type 2 diabetes. Diabetes Care. 2010;33(8):1699–705.
- Ferron M, et al. Osteocalcin differentially regulates beta cell and adipocyte gene expression and affects the development of metabolic diseases in wild-type mice. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2008;105(13):5266–70.
