Vitamin Involved in Blood Sugar Control

By VRP Staff

Recent research indicates that increased intake of a specific vitamin reduced the risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Approximately 23.6 million Americans have diabetes, including 23.1 percent of Americans age 60 and older, according to the American Diabetes Association. In addition, they report that 1.6 million new cases are diagnosed each year in Americans age 20 and older.

This new study evaluated the association between intake of vitamin K, including both phylloquinone (K1) and menaquinones (K2), and the risk of developing type 2 diabetes. In this study, 38,094 individuals between 20 and 70 years of age were evaluated for vitamin K intake using a food-frequency questionnaire. The subjects were then followed for approximately 10.3 years to assess the incidence of type 2 diabetes in this group.

The study showed that during the follow-up period, 918 subjects developed diabetes. The data showed that for the individuals with the highest phylloquinone (vitamin K1) intake, there was a 19 percent decreased risk of developing type 2 diabetes compared to the individuals with the lowest intake. Additionally, the study showed that as the intake of menaquinone (vitamin K2) increased, there was a decrease in the risk of developing type 2 diabetes. More specifically, there was a 7 percent decreased risk of developing type 2 diabetes for each 10 mcg increase in menaquinone intake.

Thus, the researchers stated, “This study shows that both phylloquinone and menaquinones intake may be associated with a reduced risk of type 2 diabetes.”

Reference:

Beulens JW, van der A DL, Grobbee DE, Sluijs I, Spijkerman AM, van der Schouw YT. Dietary phylloquinone and menaquinones intake and risk of type 2 diabetes. Diabetes Care. 2010 Apr 27. Published Online Ahead of Print.