Vitamins K and D Important for Gut Health

A recent study found that vitamin K and vitamin D are low in subjects with imbalanced inflammatory responses in the intestines. Previous research indicated that proper balance of inflammation in the digestive tract is important for optimal bone mineral density. Thus, researchers investigated the role of vitamin D and vitamin K, both important vitamins for maintaining bone strength, in patients with unbalanced inflammatory responses in the bowel.

This study included 87 subjects with inflammatory imbalances of the intestines. The subjects were evaluated for bone mineral density using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA). In the subjects and healthy volunteers, levels of serum undercarboxylated osteocalcin and 1,25 dihydroxyvitamin D were measured to determine vitamin K and vitamin D levels.

The results indicated that bone mineral density was suboptimal in the subjects with imbalanced inflammatory responses in the intestines. Additionally, the researchers found that vitamin D was lower in subjects with imbalanced inflammatory responses, and vitamin K also was lower in a subset of patients with imbalanced inflammatory responses compared to control subjects. The study also showed that serum undercarboxylated osteocalcin, the measurement of vitamin K in the body, correlated with clinical activity in a subset of the patients with inflammation affecting the large intestine.

The study authors concluded that vitamins D and K are insufficient in subjects with imbalanced inflammatory responses in the intestines, and vitamin K is associated with normal inflammatory processes in a subset of these patients.

Reference:

Nakajima S, Iijima H, Egawa S, Shinzaki S, Kondo J, Inoue T, Hayashi Y, Ying J, Mukai A, Akasaka T, Nishida T, Kanto T, Tsujii M, Hayashi N. Association of vitamin K deficiency with bone metabolism and clinical disease activity in inflammatory bowel disease. Nutrition. 2011 Apr 8. Published Online Ahead of Print.