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Issues related to the research on vitamin K supplementation and bone mineral density

European Journal of Clinical Nutrition volume 76, pages 335–339 (2022)Cite this article

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Osteoporosis is a debilitating aging-related skeletal disease that is characterized by deterioration of bone structure and function, resulting in increased susceptibility to fractures [1]. The role of nutritional factors such as calcium and vitamin D for maintaining skeletal health and reducing risk for osteoporotic fractures has been recognized [2].

Vitamin K is another nutrient that has been implicated in skeletal health. Vitamin K is a group of molecules that share a common methylated naphthoquinone ring but with different side chains [3], all of which function as an enzymatic co-factor in the γ-carboxylation of vitamin K-dependent (VKD) proteins. Vitamin K1 (phylloquinone) and vitamin K2 (menaquinones) are the two major subtypes of vitamin K [3]. Vitamin K2, which differs from phylloquinone in that it has an unsaturated side chain, is further categorized into 10 subtypes (menaquinone-4 (MK-4) to menaquinone-13) based on the length of its side chain. In addition to vitamin K1, MK-4, and menaquinone-7 (MK-7) have been the most studied in relation to osteoporosis and bone loss.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, USA

    Yijia Zhang, Mary E. D’Alton & Ka Kahe

  2. Department of Epidemiology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, USA

    Yijia Zhang & Ka Kahe

  3. Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University, Boston, MA, USA

    M. Kyla Shea

  4. Department of Biostatistics, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA

    Suzanne E. Judd

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YZ conceived the study and drafted the manuscript. MKS critically reviewed and revised the manuscript. SEJ critically reviewed and revised the manuscript. MED critically reviewed and revised the manuscript. KK conceived the study and critically reviewed and revised the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Ka Kahe.

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Zhang, Y., Shea, M.K., Judd, S.E. et al. Issues related to the research on vitamin K supplementation and bone mineral density. Eur J Clin Nutr 76, 335–339 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41430-021-00941-2

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