Vitamin K and bone metabolism

Abstract

Vitamin K has a well known role in the synthesis of a number of blood coagulation factors. During the last decade, new reports about the importance of the vitamin K for bone and vascular health were published. Osteocalcin, the most important noncollagenous protein of the bone, is a vitamin K-dependent protein and provides a measure of the vitamin K status of the bone. Recent data demonstrated a correlation between vitamin K intakes, bone mass, osteoporosis and risk of fracture. Human intervention studies have shown that vitamin K supplementation increases the bone mineral density in osteoporotic patients and reduces fracture rates. Also there are evidences about a synergistic effect of vitamin K and vitamin D in bone metabolism. The aim of this paper is to present the impact of vitamin K upon bone health.