Recent Longevity News for the seven days ending 12/19/12.  You should consult your doctor if you are taking any medications.

A Quantitative Synthesis of Mercury in Commercial Seafood and Implications for Exposure in the United States - Medscape, 12/18/12 - "U.S. Food and Drug Administration Hg Monitoring Program (FDA-MP) ... Mean Hg concentrations for each seafood item were highly variable among studies, spanning 0.3–2.4 orders of magnitude. Farmed fish generally had lower grand mean Hg concentrations than their wild counterparts, with wild seafood having 2- to12-fold higher concentrations, depending on the seafood item. However, farmed fish are relatively understudied, as are specific seafood items and seafood imports from Asia and South America. Finally, we found large discrepancies between mean Hg concentrations estimated from our database and FDA-MP estimates for most seafood items examined ... The FDA action level for MeHg of 1.0 ppm represents the threshold above which the agency can take legal action (e.g., removing the product from the marketplace) (FDA 2007). The U.S. EPA MeHg criterion of 0.3 ppm represents the fish tissue concentration that should not be exceeded for safe consumption of sport-caught fish in local waters based on average consumption (U.S. EPA 2001)"

Two cups of milk a day ideal for children's health, new research shows - Science Daily, 12/17/12 - "looked at how cow's milk affected body stores of iron and vitamin D -- two of the most important nutrients in milk -- in more than 1,300 children aged two to five years ... children who drank more cow's milk had higher Vitamin D stores but lower iron stores ... two cups of cow's milk per day was enough to maintain adequate vitamin D levels for most children, while also maintaining iron stores. With additional cow's milk, there was a further reduction in iron stores without greater benefit from vitamin D" - Yeah but if that were the only reason to drink milk you could take a supplement for those two nutrients.

FDA Approves Pasireotide for Cushing's Disease - Medscape, 12/17/12 - "the US Food and Drug Administration has approved pasireotide diaspartate injection for the treatment of patients with Cushing's disease for whom surgery has been unsuccessful or who are not surgical candidates ... Pasireotide is administered twice daily ... a year-long double-blind phase 3 trial in which 162 patients were randomly assigned to receive either 600 or 900 μg subcutaneously delivered pasireotide twice daily ... Twelve (15%) participants in the lower-dose group and 21 (26%) of the higher-dosage group met the trial's primary endpoint (free urinary cortisol levels at or below the upper limit of normal with no dose increase at month 6) ... Although those success rates were relatively low, nearly 60% of 103 patients for whom urinary free cortisol levels were available at baseline and at 6 months had cortisol reductions of at least 50% ... nearly three quarters of the study participants experienced hyperglycemia-related adverse events, leading to 6% leaving the study and 46% requiring a new glucose-lowering medication"

Cartenoids found to reduce hip fracture risk in lean men - Science Daily, 12/16/12 - "Elderly who are lean (BMI <20 kg/m2) are at higher risk of hip fracture compared to those with higher BMI ... researchers examined the association between dietary antioxidant carotenoids and hip fracture risk across a range of BMI in elderly Chinese men and women using data from the Singapore Chinese Health Study ... low BMI is a stronger risk factor for hip fracture risk among elderly men compared to women ... Also, in men, hip fracture risk decreased with increasing intakes of total vegetables and of total carotenoids, particularly β-carotene" - See Jarrow Formulas, CarotenALL at Amazon.com.

Aerobic exercise trumps resistance training for weight and fat loss - Science Daily, 12/15/12 - "Participants were randomly assigned to one of three exercise training groups: resistance training (three days per week of weight lifting, three sets per day, 8-12 repetitions per set), aerobic training (approximately 12 miles per week), or aerobic plus resistance training (three days a week, three set per day, 8-12 repetitions per set for resistance training, plus approximately 12 miles per week of aerobic exercise) ... The groups assigned to aerobic training and aerobic plus resistance training lost more weight than those who did just resistance training. The resistance training group actually gained weight due to an increase in lean body mass ... The combination exercise group, while requiring double the time commitment, provided a mixed result. The regimen helped participants lose weight and fat mass, but did not significantly reduce body mass nor fat mass over aerobic training alone. This group did notice the largest decrease in waist circumference, which may be attributed to the amount of time participants spent exercising ... Balancing time commitments against health benefits, our study suggests that aerobic exercise is the best option for reducing fat mass and body mass"

Significant link found between daytime sleepiness and vitamin D - Science Daily, 12/14/12 - "progressively higher levels of daytime sleepiness were correlated inversely with progressively lower levels of vitamin D" - See vitamin D at Amazon.com.

Low adiponcetin associated with increased pancreatic cancer risk - Science Daily, 12/14/12 - "Low adiponectin plasma levels are associated with the insulin resistance that manifests in obesity and diabetes mellitus, both of which are risk factors for pancreatic cancer ... The researchers found a statistically significant inverse association between prediagnostic plasma adiponectin levels and the risk of pancreatic cancer in the five prospective cohorts"

Vitamin D can help infection-prone patients avoid respiratory tract infection - Science Daily, 12/13/12 - "researchers examined whether treatment with vitamin D can prevent and relieve respiratory tract infections in particularly infection-prone patients. All the 140 participants from the Immunodeficiency Unit had symptoms of disease in their respiratory tracts for at least 42 days prior to the study. The patients were randomly divided into two groups, one of which received vitamin D in relatively high doses, the other a placebo. They were also asked to keep a diary recording their state of health every day during the year-long study period ... The results show that symptoms of respiratory tract infection declined by almost a quarter and the use of antibiotics by almost half. Vitamin D treatment was also tolerated well by all patients and gave no serious side-effects" - See vitamin D at Amazon.com.

Aerobic Exercise Boosts Brain Power, Review Finds - Science Daily, 12/13/12 - "this is published in a new review by Hayley Guiney and Liana Machado from the University of Otago, New Zealand ... fitter individuals scored better in mental tests than their unfit peers. In addition, intervention studies found scores in mental tests improved in participants who were assigned to an aerobic exercise regimen compared to those assigned to stretch and tone classes"

Vegetable compound could become ingredient to treating leukemia - Science Daily, 12/12/12 - "A concentrated form of a compound called sulforaphane found in broccoli and other cruciferous vegetables has been shown to reduce the number of acute lymphoblastic leukemia cells in the lab setting ... performed this work while a clinical fellow in the Texas Children's Cancer and Hematology Centers, incubated human-derived leukemic cell lines and primary lymphoblasts from pediatric patients with the compound. The cancer cells died while the healthy cells obtained from healthy donors were unaffected. Studies tested in pre-clinical mouse models showed similar results" - See sulforaphane at Amazon.com.

Recreational Marijuana: Are There Health Effects? - WebMD, 12/11/12 - "Smoking marijuana produces a nearly threefold increase of inhaled tar compared with tobacco, according to some studies ... For cigarette smokers who also smoke marijuana, there may be an additive effect ... Some research shows that marijuana smoke has up to 70% more cancer-causing substances than tobacco smoke ... Long-term, heavy use of marijuana can lead to impaired thinking skills and memory problems ... Numerous studies have linked marijuana use with schizophrenia. In this brain disorder, people may think they hear voices and that others are controlling their minds and thoughts"

Abstracts from this week's Doctor's Guide Nutrition/Dietetics plus abstracts from my RSS feeds (Click here for the journals, the PubMed ones at the top):

A Prospective Study of Plasma Adiponectin and Pancreatic Cancer Risk in Five US Cohorts - J Natl Cancer Inst. 2012 Dec 14 - "The adipocyte-secreted hormone adiponectin has insulin-sensitizing and anti-inflammatory properties. Although development of pancreatic cancer is associated with states of insulin resistance and chronic inflammation, the mechanistic basis of the associations is poorly understood ... conducted a nested case-control study of 468 pancreatic cancer case subjects and 1080 matched control subjects from five prospective US cohorts: Health Professionals Follow-up Study, Nurses' Health Study, Physicians' Health Study, Women's Health Initiative, and Women's Health Study ... Plasma adiponectin was inversely associated with pancreatic cancer risk, which was consistent across the five prospective cohorts (P (heterogeneity) = .49) and independent of other markers of insulin resistance (eg, diabetes, body mass index, physical activity, plasma C-peptide). Compared with the lowest quintile of adiponectin, individuals in quintiles 2 to 5 had multivariable odds ratios ([ORs] 95% confidence intervals [CIs]) of OR = 0.61 (95% CI = 0.43 to 0.86), OR = 0.58 (95% CI = 0.41 to 0.84), OR = 0.59 (95% CI = 0.40 to 0.87), and OR = 0.66 (95% CI = 0.44 to 0.97), respectively (P (trend) = .04)"

Participant experiences from chronic administration of a multivitamin versus placebo on subjective health and wellbeing: a double-blind qualitative analysis of a randomised controlled trial - Nutr J. 2012 Dec 14;11(1):110 - "Semi-structured and open-ended written questions were incorporated into a 16-week double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled, parallel groups trial of once-daily multivitamin administration. At the final study visit (week 16), three open-ended questions were posed to elucidate any positive, negative or unusual experiences from taking either the multivitamin or matched placebo. Qualitative thematic analysis was undertaken by researchers who were blind as to treatment condition of participants, and triangulation (independent analysis from three researchers) was employed to ensure methodological rigour ... Thematic analysis revealed significant effects in favour of the multivitamin over placebo for participants experiencing increased energy levels (p=.022) and enhanced mood (p=.027). The beneficial effect on energy levels was particularly evident among female participants. A trend was found for participants reporting better sleep in the multivitamin over placebo. The multivitamin and placebo groups did not significantly differ in perceived positive or negative effects in areas relating to other aspects of mental function or physical health. No significant negative effects were revealed, although there was a non-significant trend for more people in the multivitamin group having minor digestive complaints" - See Garden of Life, Radical Fruits Antioxidant Complex at Amazon.com.

Antioxidant supplementation has a positive effect on oxidative stress and hematological toxicity during oncology treatment in cervical cancer patients - Support Care Cancer. 2012 Dec 14 - "Hematological toxicity and oxidative stress are common in cancer patients ... Randomized, single-blinded controlled trial in women with cervical cancer treated with radiotherapy and chemotherapy with cisplatin. Subjects were randomly assigned to receive antioxidant supplement or placebo supplement ... At the end of the oncology treatment, hemoglobin levels were maintained, and global QoL was better only in the supplemented group ... Antioxidant supplementation in patients treated with chemotherapy and radiotherapy apparently decreased oxidative stress, maintained hemoglobin levels, and improved QoL" - See Garden of Life, Radical Fruits Antioxidant Complex at Amazon.com.

Fruits and vegetables consumption and risk of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma: A meta-analysis of observational studies - Int J Cancer. 2012 Dec 13 - "searched on PubMed database from January 1966 through September 2012 to indentify case-control and cohort studies ... For vegetables, the summary relative risks (RRs) of NHL for high vs low intake for case-control, cohort and all studies were 0.75 (95% CI, 0.60-0.94; N=8), 0.90 (95% CI, 0.81-1.00; N=5) and 0.81 (95%CI, 0.71-0.92; N=13) ; and the corresponding RRs for intake of 1 serving per day were 0.88 (95% CI, 0.80-0.96; N=8), 0.96 (95% CI, 0.92-1.00; N=5) and 0.92 (95%CI, 0.87-0.96; N=13). For fruits and vegetables combined, the summary RR for high vs low intake was 0.78 (95%CI, 0.66-0.92; N=4), and for intake of 1 serving per day was 0.95 (95%CI, 0.91-1.00; N=4) ... Fruits intake was generally not associated with total NHL, or any histological subtypes. Our findings suggest that intakes of vegetables, and fruits and vegetables combined, but not fruits alone, significantly reduce risk of NHL"

Platelet Redox Balance in Diabetic Patients With Hypertension Improved by n-3 Fatty Acids - Diabetes Care. 2012 Dec 13 - "Patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) are at increased risk of developing cardiovascular disease, largely as a result of defective production of cardioprotective nitric oxide and a concomitant rise in oxidative stress ... We randomized hypertensive T2DM patients (T2DM HT; n = 22) and age-and-sex matched hypertensive study participants without diabetes (HT alone; n = 23) in a double-blind, crossover fashion to receive 8 weeks of n-3 PUFAs (1.8 g eicosapentaenoic acid and 1.5 g docosahexaenoic acid) or identical olive oil capsules (placebo), with an intervening 8-week washout period ... Our finding that n-3 PUFAs diminish platelet superoxide production in T2DM HT patients in vivo suggests a therapeutic role for these agents in reducing the vascular-derived oxidative stress associated with diabetes" - See ubiquinol products at Amazon.com and Mega Twin EPA at Amazon.com.

Effects of telmisartan therapy on interleukin-6 and tumor necrosis factor-alpha levels: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials - Hypertens Res. 2012 Dec 13 - "A recent meta-analysis of randomized head-to-head trials suggests that therapy with telmisartan, an angiotensin II receptor blocker (ARB) and partial agonist of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma, may increase adiponectin levels more strongly than other ARB therapies. Therefore, telmisartan would be expected to reduce interleukin-6 (IL-6) or tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) ... based on a meta-analysis of nine randomized controlled trials, telmisartan therapy is likely effective in reducing IL-6 and TNF-α levels" - See my Telmisartan as a first line treatment for hypertension page.  See telmisartan at OffshoreRx1.com.

Pulse pressure and heart rate in patients with metabolic syndrome across Europe: insights from the GOOD survey - J Hum Hypertens. 2012 Dec 13 - "When compared with patients with no metabolic syndrome or diabetes, patients with metabolic syndrome had higher pulse pressure (59+/-14 vs 55+/-14 mm Hg) and heart rate (75.2+/-11.0 vs 72.5+/-10.0 beats per min) (P<0.001 for both), independent of the concomitant presence or absence of diabetes, despite a more prevalent use of β-blockers. In conclusion, in hypertensive outpatients the presence of metabolic syndrome is associated with increased heart rate and pulse pressure, which may at least in part reflect increased arterial stiffness and increased sympathetic tone"

Possible link of pioglitazone with bladder cancer in Japanese patients with type 2 diabetes - Diabetes Res Clin Pract. 2012 Dec 7 - "Among a total of 663 patients identified to be taking pioglitazone, 9 had bladder cancer (1.36%). Overall the hazard ratio of 1.75 [95% CI: 0.89-3.45] for pioglitazone for bladder cancer was not significant. However the prevalence of bladder cancer was 2.10% in patients taking pioglitazone for less than 24 months which was significant increased (HR 2.73 [95% CI: 1.11-6.72])"

Use of antihypertensive medications and breast cancer risk - Cancer Causes Control. 2012 Dec 8 - "antihypertensive medications (AHTs) ... We re-evaluated the relationship between AHT use and breast cancer risk in a prospective cohort of 3,201 women ≥65 years of age at recruitment now with more than double the length of follow-up (12 vs. 5 years) and substantially more breast cancer diagnoses (188 compared with 75 cases) ... Compared with women who reported no use of AHTs, women who had used calcium channel blockers (CCB) within the past two years had a 1.6-fold increased risk of breast cancer (95 % confidence interval (CI): 1.0-2.5), and in particular, recent users of immediate-release CCBs had a 2.4-fold increased risk (95 % CI: 1.3-4.5). Neither ever nor recent use of any other type of AHT was associated with breast cancer risk"

Dietary fibre consumption and insulin resistance - the role of body fat and physical activity - Br J Nutr. 2012 Dec 7:1-9 - "Fibre and energy consumption were assessed using 7 d weighed food records ... In women who had high soluble fibre intake (upper 50 %), the OR of having an elevated HOMA-IR level was 0.58 (95 % CI 0.36, 0.94) times that of women with low soluble fibre intake (lower 50 %). After controlling for all of the potential confounding factors simultaneously, the OR was 0.52 (95 % CI 0.29, 0.93). High fibre intake, particularly soluble fibre, is significantly related to lower levels of insulin resistance in women" - See Garden of Life, RAW Fiber at Amazon.com.

Effect of a High-Protein Diet on Kidney Function in Healthy Adults: Results From the OmniHeart Trial - Am J Kidney Dis. 2012 Dec 4 - "Participants were fed each of 3 diets for 6 weeks. Feeding periods were separated by a 2- to 4-week washout period. Weight was held constant on each diet. The 3 diets emphasized carbohydrate, protein, or unsaturated fat; dietary protein was either 15% (carbohydrate and unsaturated fat diets) or 25% (protein diet) of energy intake ... Compared with the carbohydrate and unsaturated fat diets, the protein diet increased cystatin C-based eGFR by ~ 4 mL/min/1.73 m(2) (P < 0.001) ... A healthy diet rich in protein increased eGFR. Whether long-term consumption of a high-protein diet leads to kidney disease is uncertain"

Circulating Carotenoids and Risk of Breast Cancer: Pooled Analysis of Eight Prospective Studies - J Natl Cancer Inst. 2012 Dec 6 - "pooled analysis of eight cohort studies comprising more than 80% of the world's published prospective data on plasma or serum carotenoids and breast cancer ... ResultsStatistically significant inverse associations with breast cancer were observed for α-carotene (top vs bottom quintile RR = 0.87, 95% CI = 0.71 to 1.05, Ptrend = .04), β-carotene (RR = 0.83, 95% CI = 0.70 to 0.98, Ptrend = .02), lutein+zeaxanthin (RR = 0.84, 95% CI = 0.70 to 1.01, Ptrend = .05), lycopene (RR = 0.78, 95% CI = 0.62 to 0.99, Ptrend = .02), and total carotenoids (RR = 0.81, 95% CI = 0.68 to 0.96, Ptrend = .01) ... This comprehensive prospective analysis suggests women with higher circulating levels of α-carotene, β-carotene, lutein+zeaxanthin, lycopene, and total carotenoids may be at reduced risk of breast cancer" - See Jarrow Formulas, CarotenALL at Amazon.com or Garden of Life, Radical Fruits Antioxidant Complex at Amazon.com.

Docosahexaenoic acid for the treatment of fatty liver: Randomised controlled trial in children - Nutr Metab Cardiovasc Dis. 2012 Dec 7 - "Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common liver disease in children ... The odds of more severe versus less severe liver steatosis decreased to the same degree at 6 months in children treated with DHA 250 mg/day and DHA 500 mg/day vs. placebo and persisted virtually unmodified for 24 months (OR ≤ 0.02, p ≤ 0.05 for all time points). Triglycerides were lower in the DHA groups than in the placebo group at any time point and ALT was lower in these groups from month 12 onwards. HOMA was lower in the DHA 250 mg group vs. placebo at months 6 and 12 ... DHA supplementation improves liver steatosis in children with NAFLD. Doses of 250 mg/day and 500 mg/day of DHA appear to be equally effective in reducing liver fat content" - See Jarrow Max DHA at Amazon.com.

Health Focus (Vitamin K):

Specific Recommendations:

• vitamin K at Amazon.com
• vitamin K at Amazon.com

News & Research:

• The Week in Bone Health | Breaking news on natural vitamin K2 MK-7 - betterbones.com, 6/25/12 - "Noted vitamin K expert Dr. Cees Vermeer led the European study which found that natural vitamin K2 as MK-7 (MenaQ 7 ®) significantly increases the strength of both the spine and the hip in postmenopausal women" - See vitamin K at Amazon.com.
• Vitamin K2: New hope for Parkinson's patients? - Science Daily, 5/11/12 - "Fruit flies (Drosophila) are frequently used in lab experiments because of their short life spans and breeding cycles, among other things ... When the flies were given vitamin K2, the energy production in their mitochondria was restored and the insects' ability to fly improved. The researchers were also able to determine that the energy production was restored because the vitamin K2 had improved electron transport in the mitochondria. This in turn led to improved energy production ... Vitamin K2 plays a role in the energy production of defective mitochondria. Because defective mitochondria are also found in Parkinson's patients with a PINK1 or Parkin mutation, vitamin K2 potentially offers hope for a new treatment for Parkinson's"
• Vitamin K may cut lymph cancer risk: US study - Nutra USA, 4/21/10
• Vitamin K may protect against developing non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, say Mayo Clinic researchers - Science Daily, 4/19/10 - "the risk of developing Non-Hodgkin lymphoma was approximately 45 percent lower for participants who had vitamin K intakes in the top quartile of intake in the study (>108 ug/day), compared to participants who had intakes in the bottom quartile (<39 ug/day). This association remained after accounting for other factors such as age, sex, education, obesity, smoking, alcohol use and intake of foods with high amounts of antioxidants"
• New Vitamin K Analysis Supports The Triage Theory - Science Daily, 9/17/09 - "An important analysis conducted by Children's Hospital Oakland Research Institute scientists suggests the importance of ensuring optimal dietary intakes of vitamin K to prevent age-related conditions such as bone fragility, arterial and kidney calcification, cardiovascular disease, and possibly cancer ... Average intakes of vitamin K in the United States and the United Kingdom are less even than currently recommended intakes, which are primarily based on levels to ensure adequate coagulation. McCann & Ames' analysis supports recommendations by some experts that non-clotting functions requiring vitamin K may need higher intakes than are currently recommended"
• Study strengthens Vitamin K1's heart benefits - Nutra USA, 5/26/09 - "Subjects receiving a daily vitamin K1 plus multivitamin supplement experienced 6 per cent less progression of coronary artery calcification (CAC), or hardening of the arteries that leads to atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease" - [Abstract]
• Review supports vitamin K's fracture reducing power - Nutra USA, 5/20/09 - "The most important findings in this review are that although supplementation with lower doses of vitamin K may be sufficient to reduce serum ucOC levels, supplementation with higher doses may be required for optimal bone health" - [Abstract]
• Vitamin K and prostate cancer – study supports benefits - Nutra USA, 3/31/09 - "increased intakes of vitamin K2, but not K1, were associated with a 35 per cent reduction in prostate cancer risk. The potential benefits of K2 were more pronounced for advanced prostate cancer ... A higher ratio of undercarboxylated osteocalcin (ucOC) to intact total osteocalcin (iOC) is indicative of poorer vitamin K status ... of ucOC and iOC were analysed from serum samples, and every 0.1 increment in the ratio was associated with a 38 per cent increase in advanced-stage prostate cancer, and a 21 per cent increase in high-grade prostate cancer" - [Abstract] - See vitamin K at Amazon.com.
• Vitamin K2, but not K1, effective for heart health benefits: Study - Nutra USA, 2/12/09 - "This study confirms our findings in the Rotterdam study, showing that increased vitamin K2 intake strongly reduces the risk of coronary heart disease" - [Abstract]
• Vitamin K Linked To Insulin Resistance In Older Men - Science Daily, 11/26/08 - "Vitamin K slowed the development of insulin resistance in elderly men in a study of 355 non-diabetic men and women ages 60 to 80 who completed a three-year clinical trial at the Jean Mayer Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University"
• Vitamin K2 linked to better heart health - Nutra USA, 9/10/08 - "When the intakes of K1 and K2 were divided into four groups from the lowest to highest, no association was found between K1 intakes and calcification. However, high consumption of K2 (about 45 micrograms per day) was associated with 20 per cent decreased coronary calcification, compared with low consumption of K2 (about 18micrograms per day)"
• Effect of vitamin K supplementation on insulin resistance in older men and women - Diabetes Care. 2008 Aug 12 - "The effect of 36-month vitamin K supplementation on HOMA-IR differed by sex (sex-by-treatment interaction: P = 0.02). HOMA-IR was statistically significantly lower at the 36-month visit among men in the supplement group vs. the men in the control group (P = 0.01) after adjustment for baseline HOMA-IR, BMI, and body weight change. There were no statistically significant differences in outcome measures between intervention groups in women ... Vitamin K supplementation for 36 months at doses attainable in the diet may reduce progression of insulin resistance in older men"
• Vitamin K good for young bones, too: study - Nutra USA, 7/17/08 - "These findings suggest that improvement in vitamin K status, and thus in the amount of active osteocalcin, might significantly improve bone health in children, even in those with arthritis"
• Vitamin K2 linked to lower prostate cancer risk - Nutra USA, 4/9/08 - "While no reduction in the risk of prostate cancer was observed for vitamin K1 (phylloquinone), an increased intake of all menaquinones (vitamin K2) was associated with a 35 per cent reduction in risk"
• Study gives vitamin K anti-inflammation boost - Nutra USA, 12/3/07 - "Limited in vitro data support the inverse association between vitamin K and interleukin-6, and this may influence the association between vitamin K and other cytokines, such as osteoprotegerin" - [Abstract]
• Vitamin K shows potential in the fight against wrinkles - Nutra USA, 10/19/07 - [Abstract] - "Recent studies have linked vitamin K to the elasticity of skin in patients suffering from pseudoxanthoma elasticum (PXE), an inherited condition resulting in severe wrinkling of the skin on the face and body"
• Vitamin K linked to fewer varicose veins, better vascular health - Nutra USA, 8/23/07 - "they suggested that adequate dietary intake of vitamin K may be a necessary prerequisite in preventing the development of varicose veins" - [Abstract]
• Is vitamin K deficiency more common than thought? - Nutra USA, 7/18/07
• Vitamin K may reverse arterial calcification - Nutra USA, 4/3/07 - "using 10-week old male Wistar Kyoto rats ... high-vitamin K intake (both K1 and K2) not only blocked the progress of further calcium accumulation but also lead to a greater than 37 per cent reduction of previously accumulated arterial calcium precipitates within six weeks"
• Many Seniors Are Still Not Meeting The Recommended Intake Of Vitamin K - Science Daily, 2/12/07 - "Although older adults seem to consume more vitamin K than younger adults, many seniors are still not meeting the recommended intake of vitamin K ... Research has shown poor vitamin K intake may be associated with conditions such as bone fractures, bone loss, hardening of the arteries, and osteoarthritis"
• Vitamin K2 higher bioavailability than K1, say scientists - Nutra USA, 12/18/06
• Vitamin K may reverse artery hardening, suggests study - Nutra USA, 12/11/06 - "A high-dose vitamin K supplement reduced calcium precipitates associated with hardening of the arteries by 37 per cent in rats"
• Study Suggests Vitamin K Deficiency as an Osteoporosis Risk Factor - Doctor's Guide, 9/22/06 - "one of the early effects of declining estrogen is the impairment of vitamin K function in bone even before any bone loss that could be attributed to menopause can be measured ... Our study suggests that the generally accepted level of vitamin K in healthy women is inadequate to maintain bone health just at the onset of menopause"
• Vitamin K1-rich diet linked to better heart health - Nutra USA, 8/29/06
• Strong support for vitamin K’s bone health benefits - Nutra USA, 6/27/06 - "Supplementation of vitamin K (MK-4) resulted in reductions in hip fractures of 77 per cent, vertebral fracture of 60 per cent, and all non-vertebral fractures of 81 per cent"
• More support for vitamin K’s protection from osteoarthritis - Nutra USA, 4/12/06 - "Higher intake of vitamin K, found naturally in cabbage, spinach, cauliflower, and other green leafy vegetables, could reduce the risk of osteoarthritic knee problems by 40 per cent"
• Vitamin K's Delicate Balancing Act - Life Extension Magazine, 4/06 - "Scientists have discovered that vitamin K regulates several biochemical processes that require exquisite balance to function normally, including blood coagulation, bone mineralization, and vascular health"
• Vitamin K in the Treatment and Prevention of Osteoporosis - Am J Health-Syst Pharm. 2005;62(15):1574-1581/Medscape, 8/5/05 - "The results of two dose-response studies have indicated that (1) the amount of vitamin K needed for optimal γ-carboxylation of osteocalcin is significantly higher than what is provided by diet alone and (2) there is a need to increase current dosage recommendations to optimize bone mineralization"
• Natto vitamin K2 superior to vitamin K? - Nutra USA, 3/24/04
• Vitamin K - Life Extension Magazine, 3/04
• Vitamin K Builds Strong Bones - New Hope Natural Media, 3/28/03 - "Without adequate vitamin K, osteocalcin cannot be produced, and bone formation becomes impaired ... when women with osteoporosis take supplemental vitamin K, the urinary excretion of calcium falls by about 50%, suggesting that less calcium is being leached from the bones ... Some research, however, suggests that the optimal level of intake may be higher, as much as 400 mcg per day. A typical western diet contains 80 to 150 mcg per day"
• Vitamin K(1) Absorption Unreliable in Infants with Conjugated Hyperbilirubinaemia - Doctor's Guide, 3/5/03
• Watch Out for Vitamin K? - Dr. Weil, 11/27/02
• Low Bone Mineral Density and Quantitative Ultrasound in Men Associated with Low Vitamin K Status - Doctor's Guide, 9/23/02 - "Low vitamin K status is associated with low quantitative ultrasound (QUS) and low bone mineral density (BMD) of the femoral neck and trochanter ... What we did was measure the amount of vitamin K in circulation and use the more sensitive measures of vitamin K status which was % undercarboxylated osteocalcin ... We corrected for triglycerides because vitamin K is transported in the blood by triglyceride-rich lipoproteins ... What we found was that the higher the amounts of vitamin K in the plasma, the higher the BMD" - So does that mean that if your triglycerides are in check you may need extra vitamin K? - Ben
• Topical Vitamin K Effectively Treats Bruising Following Laser Therapy - Doctor's Guide, 8/26/02
• Vitamin K Therapy Slows Spread of Liver Cancer - Doctor's Guide, 5/29/02 - "Results show that 59 percent of patients treated with vitamin K-II were alive at two years compared to 29 percent of those who were not given vitamin K-II (p=0.14). Invasion of the cancer into the portal vein occurred in 2 percent of the vitamin K-II treated group at one year and in 13 percent at two years, compared to 21 and 55 percent of controls, respectively" - Also see liver cancer.  Vitamin K3 (menadione sodium bisulfite) is put in animal foods and animal vitamins.
• Hydrogenated Oils Affect Amount of Vitamin K Available to Bone - Doctor's Guide, 11/30/01 - "Hydrogenation of plant oils decreases the amount of vitamin K available to bone in consumers using food products containing the oils ... available data indicate that more than half of younger US adults do not meet the current guidelines governing adequate intake of the nutrient" - Another reason to stay away from the brands of peanut butter that are hydrogenated. - Ben
• Vitamin K Deficiency Linked to Low Bone Mineral Density in Women - Doctor's Guide, 10/15/01
• Vitamin K Cuts Hip Fractures - Nutrition Science News, 9/01
• Low-Dose Vitamin K Treats Excessive Anticoagulation - Doctor's Guide, 7/9/01
• US Anticoagulation Clinics Underuse Vitamin K - Doctor's Guide, 7/9/01
• Low Dose Vitamin K Helps Warfarin Patients - Doctor's Guide, 11/2/00
• Bone Up on Osteoporosis - Nutrition Science News, 11/00
• Lack of Vitamin K Linked to Hip Fractures - Doctor's Guide, 5/9/00
• Vitamin K - Life Extension Magazine, 2/00
• Research Points to Better Blood Clotting Control - Doctor's Guide, 4/13/98
• Combining Acetaminophen With Anticoagulant Increases Risk Of Bleeding - Doctor's Guide, 3/3/98
• Is Vitamin K Linked To Childhood Cancer? - Doctor's Guide, 1/16/98

Abstracts:

• Comparison of menaquinone-4 and menaquinone-7 bioavailability in healthy women - Nutr J. 2012 Nov 12;11(1):93 - "Consecutive administration of MK-4 (60 mug; 135 nmol) or MK-7 (60 mug; 92 nmol) for 7 days demonstrated that MK-4 supplementation did not increase serum MK-4 levels. However, consecutive administration of MK-7 increased serum MK-7 levels significantly in all subjects ... We conclude that MK-4 present in food does not contribute to the vitamin K status as measured by serum vitamin K levels. MK-7, however significantly increases serum MK-7 levels and therefore may be of particular importance for extrahepatic tissues"
• Dietary phylloquinone intake and risk of type 2 diabetes in elderly subjects at high risk of cardiovascular disease - Am J Clin Nutr. 2012 Oct 3 - "Limited evidence from human and animal studies has suggested that vitamin K has a potentially beneficial role in glucose metabolism and insulin resistance ... Cross-sectional associations were tested in 1925 men and women in the Prevention with the Mediterranean Diet trial ... Dietary intake was collected during each annual visit by using a food-frequency questionnaire, and phylloquinone intake was estimated by using the USDA database ... Dietary phylloquinone at baseline was significantly lower in subjects who developed type 2 diabetes during the study. After adjustment for potential confounders, risk of incident diabetes was 17% lower for each additional intake of 100 μg phylloquinone/d. Moreover, subjects who increased their dietary intake of vitamin K during the follow-up had a 51% reduced risk of incident diabetes compared with subjects who decreased or did not change the amount of phylloquinone intake"
• Vitamin K, vertebral fractures, vascular calcifications and mortality: Vitamin K Italian (VIKI) dialysis study - J Bone Miner Res. 2012 Jun 12 - "Vitamin K1 deficiency was the strongest predictor of vertebral fractures (OR 2.94 95%CI 1.38-6.26). MK4 deficiency was a predictor of aortic calcification (OR 2.82 95%CI 1.14-7.01), whereas MK5 deficiency actually protected against it (OR 0.38 95%CI 0.15-0.95). MK7 deficiency was a predictor of iliac calcification (OR 1.64 95%CI 1.03-2.60). The presence of vertebral fractures was also a predictor of vascular calcifications (OR 1.76 95%CI 1.00-3.08). Increased alkaline phosphatase and C reactive protein (CRP), age, cerebrovascular events were predictors of mortality. Our study suggests that the vitamin K system may be important for preserving bone mass and avoiding vascular calcification in hemodialysis patients, pointing out a possible role of vitamin K in bone and vascular health"
• Inhibitory Effect of Vitamin C in Combination With Vitamin K3 on Tumor Growth and Metastasis of Lewis Lung Carcinoma Xenografted in C57BL/6 Mice - Nutr Cancer. 2011 Sep 2 - "Vit CK3 restored the body weight of tumor-bearing mice to the level of tumor-free mice ... These results demonstrate that vit CK3 inhibits primary tumor growth and exhibits antimetastastic potential in vivo through attenuated tumor invasion and proliferation" - See vitamin C products at Amazon.com and vitamin K at Amazon.com.
• Dietary phylloquinone and menaquinones intake and risk of type 2 diabetes - Diabetes Care. 2010 Apr 27 - "phylloquinone intake tended to be associated (p=0.08) with a reduced risk of type 2 diabetes with a hazard ratio of 0.81 (95%-CI: 0.66-0.99) for the highest versus the lowest quartile. For menaquinones intake, a linear, inverse association (p=0.038) with risk of type 2 diabetes was observed with a hazard ratio of 0.93 (0.87-1.00) for each 10 mug increment in the multivariate model. Conclusion: This study shows that both phylloquinone and menaquinones intake may be associated with a reduced risk of type 2 diabetes"
• Dietary vitamin K intake in relation to cancer incidence and mortality: results from the Heidelberg cohort of the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC-Heidelberg) - Am J Clin Nutr. 2010 Mar 24 - "Dietary intake of menaquinones was nonsignificantly inversely associated with overall cancer incidence (HR for the highest compared with the lowest quartile: 0.86; 95% CI: 0.73, 1.01; P for trend = 0.08), and the association was stronger for cancer mortality (HR: 0.72; 95% CI: 0.53, 0.98; P for trend = 0.03). Cancer risk reduction with increasing intake of menaquinones was more pronounced in men than in women, mainly driven by significant inverse associations with prostate (P for trend = 0.03) and lung cancer (P for trend = 0.002). We found no association with phylloquinone intake"
• Vitamin K2 Suppresses Proliferation and Motility of Hepatocellular Carcinoma Cells by Activating Steroid and Xenobiotic Receptor - Endocr J. 2009 Jun 24 - "These results suggest that the activation of SXR could contribute to tumor suppressive effects of vitamin K2 on HCC cells"
• Combination of vitamin K(2) and angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor ameliorates cumulative recurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma - J Hepatol. 2009 May 15 - "A 48-month follow-up revealed that the combination treatment with VK and ACE-I markedly inhibited the cumulative recurrence of HCC in association with suppression of the serum level of the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF); a central angiogenic factor. The serum level of lectin-reactive alpha-fetoprotein was also suppressed almost in parallel with VEGF. These beneficial effects were not observed with single treatment using VK or ACE-I" - See vitamin K at Amazon.com.
• High-dose vitamin K supplementation reduces fracture incidence in postmenopausal women: a review of the literature - Nutr Res. 2009 Apr;29(4):221-8 - "randomized controlled trials (RCTs) ... The review of the reliable literature confirmed the effect of vitamin K(1) and vitamin K(2) supplementation on the skeleton of postmenopausal women mediated by mechanisms other than bone mineral density and bone turnover"
• Vitamin K supplementation and progression of coronary artery calcium in older men and women - Am J Clin Nutr. 2009 Apr 22 - "those who received phylloquinone supplements had 6% less progression than did those who received the multivitamin alone ... Phylloquinone supplementation slows the progression of CAC in healthy older adults with preexisting CAC, independent of its effect on total MGP concentrations"
• A high menaquinone reduces the incidence of coronary heart disease in women - Nutr Metab Cardiovasc Dis. 2009 Jan 27 - "A high intake of menoquinones, especially MK-7, MK-8 and MK-9, could protect against CHD"
• Serum undercarboxylated osteocalcin as biomarker of vitamin k intake and risk of prostate cancer: a nested case-control study in the heidelberg cohort of the European prospective investigation into cancer and nutrition - Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2009 Jan;18(1):49-56 - "From cell studies, Vitamin K is known to exert anticancer effects on a variety of cancer cell lines, including prostate cancer cells. Recently, we reported an inverse association between dietary intake of menaquinones (vitamin K(2)), but not phylloquinone (vitamin K(1)), and risk of prostate cancer ... There was indication of a lower prostate cancer risk in carriers of the A allele (compared with GG carriers) of the +2255 VKORC1 polymorphism with increasing menaquinone intake (P(interaction) = 0.14) whereas no distinct effect modification was observed for the ucOC/iOC ratio (P(interaction) = 0.37). The increased risks of advanced-stage and high-grade prostate cancer with higher serum ucOC/iOC ratio strengthen the findings for dietary menaquinone intake"
• Phylloquinone intake, insulin sensitivity, and glycemic status in men and women - Am J Clin Nutr. 2008 Jul;88(1):210-5 - "Limited evidence suggests that vitamin K may have a beneficial role in glucose homeostasis ... Higher phylloquinone intake was associated with greater insulin sensitivity and glycemic status, as measured by 2-h post-OGTT insulin and glucose and ISI(0,120), after adjustment for age, sex, waist circumference, lifestyle characteristics, and diet quality [2-h post-OGTT insulin: lowest and highest quintile, 81.0 and 72.7 microU/mL, respectively (P for trend = 0.003); 2-h post-OGTT glucose: 106.3 and 101.9 mg/dL, respectively"
• An Attempt to Evaluate the Effect of Vitamin K(3) Using as an Enhancer of Anticancer Agents - Biol Pharm Bull. 2008;31(6):1270-1273 - "These findings suggest that VK(3) induces G(2)/M arrest by inhibition of cyclin B/cdk1 complex formation, and is thus useful as an enhancer of G(2) phase-dependent drugs in hepatic cancer chemotherapy"
• 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 Mar 24;5(2):62-7 - "oral Apatone (Vitamin C and Vitamin K3) administration in the treatment of prostate cancer ... 5,000 mg of VC and 50 mg of VK3 each day ... At the conclusion of the 12 week treatment period, PSAV decreased and PSADT increased in 13 of 17 patients (p < or = 0.05). There were no dose-limiting adverse effects. Of the 15 patients who continued on Apatone after 12 weeks, only 1 death occurred after 14 months of treatment"
• Vitamin K(2) suppresses malignancy of HuH7 hepatoma cells via inhibition of connexin 43 - Cancer Lett. 2008 Jan 29 - "The anti-cancer potential of vitamin K(2) (VK(2)) in hepatoma has gained considerable attention"
• Vitamin K and Vitamin D Status: Associations with Inflammatory Markers in the Framingham Offspring Study - Am J Epidemiol. 2007 Nov 15 - "Vitamin K status, measured by plasma phylloquinone concentration and phylloquinone intake, was inversely associated with circulating inflammatory markers as a group and with several individual inflammatory biomarkers" - See vitamin K at Amazon.com.
• Vitamin K(2) supplementation improves hip bone geometry and bone strength indices in postmenopausal women - Osteoporos Int. 2007 Feb 8 - "Vitamin K(2) helps maintaining bone strength at the site of the femoral neck in postmenopausal women by improving BMC and FNW, whereas it has little effect on DXA-BMD"
• Vitamin K and the Prevention of Fractures: Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials - Arch Intern Med. 2006 Jun 26;166(12):1256-61 - "This systematic review suggests that supplementation with phytonadione and menaquinone-4 reduces bone loss. In the case of the latter, there is a strong effect on incident fractures among Japanese patients"
• Two-year randomized controlled trial of vitamin K1 (phylloquinone) and vitamin D3 plus calcium on the bone health of older women - J Bone Miner Res. 2007 Apr;22(4):509-19 - "women who took combined vitamin K and vitamin D plus calcium showed a significant and sustained increase in both BMD and BMC at the site of the ultradistal radius"
• Vitamin K treatment for postmenopausal osteoporosis in Indonesia - J Obstet Gynaecol Res. 2006 Apr;32(2):230-4 - "After 48 weeks of treatment, the mean percentage change of lumbar BMD in the vitamin K(2) group was significantly higher (P < 0.05) than that of the control group"
• Vitamin K, bone turnover, and bone mass in girls - Am J Clin Nutr. 2004 Oct;80(4):1075-80 - "Better vitamin K status was associated with decreased bone turnover in healthy girls consuming a typical US diet"
• Bone health. New role for vitamin K? - Can Fam Physician. 2004 Jul;50:993-7 - "Evidence suggests that dietary phylloquinone intake of <100 microg daily might not be optimal for bone health. Low intake of vitamin K could contribute to osteoporosis and subsequent fracture ... Family physicians need to be aware of the importance of encouraging adequate vitamin K intake, particularly among institutionalized elderly people, to prevent increased bone resorption"
• Role of Vitamin K2 in the Development of Hepatocellular Carcinoma in Women With Viral Cirrhosis of the Liver - JAMA. 2004 Jul 21;292(3):358-61 - "Hepatocellular carcinoma was detected in 2 of the 21 women given vitamin K2 and 9 of the 19 women in the control group ... the risk ratio for the development of hepatocellular carcinoma in patients given vitamin K2 was 0.13" - See vitamin K at Amazon.com.
• Vitamin K intake and bone mineral density in women and men - Am. J. of Clin. Nutr., 2/03 - "Low dietary vitamin K intake was associated with low BMD in women ... In contrast, there was no association between dietary vitamin K intake and BMD in men"
• Vitamin K supplementation in cystic fibrosis - Arch Dis Child. 2003 Nov;88(11):974-5 - "a increased vitamin K intake may have significant health benefits for children with CF"