Vitamin K Insufficiency in an India Population: A Pilot Study (Preprint)
BACKGROUND The fat-soluble K vitamins K1 and K2 are well recognized and exert an essential biological role in the blood coagulation cascade. However, vitamin K is less known for its non-essential roles in participating in the growing family of vitamin K-dependent proteins that promote various functions of organs and systems in the body, sustaining health and preventing disease. These less well-known actions depend on the availability of vitamin K for non-essential multi-tasking functions. This fat-soluble vitamin is available predominantly through selective dietary intakes, and its presence is absent or very low in many diets. The lack of vitamin K for non-essential biological functions exemplifies vitamin/nutritional element insufficiency, which is different from a clinically apparent vitamin deficiency. OBJECTIVE The current epidemiological study evaluated the nutritional status of vitamin K in a sample of the Indian population and its content in staple Indian foods. METHODS Serum levels of vitamin K1 and vitamin K2 in the form of MK-7 were assessed by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) coupled with a fluorescence detector in 209 patients with Type 2 diabetes and 50 healthy volunteers and in common, staple foods in India. RESULTS The results indicate that in comparison to populations with high and low serum levels in various geographical regions, the sample of India population of apparently healthy individuals and Type 2 diabetes patients showed low (insufficient) levels of vitamin K2 (menaquinone-7). The staple, commonly consumed Indian foods that were tested in the study showed undetectable content of vitamin K2. CONCLUSIONS The general population could benefit from the consumption of vitamin K2 in the form of MK-7 supplements, with emphasis on patients with diabetes, elevated blood pressure, a harbinger of cardiovascular disease, and compromised immune systems. The results can be extrapolated world-wide. CLINICALTRIAL CTRI 2019/05/014246