Vitamin K protective against atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease

Individuals with high intake of vitamin K1 or K2, regardless of dietary sources, are at low risk of developing atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD), a study has found.

The study included 53,372 Danish citizens (median age 56 years) who completed a food frequency questionnaire at baseline. They were followed for a median of 21 years for hospital admissions of ASCVD, ischaemic heart disease (IHD), ischaemic stroke, or peripheral artery disease (PAD).

The median baseline intake of vitamin K1 was 113.8 µg/d and 43.7 µg/day for vitamin K2. Participants in the highest vs lowest quintile of vitamin K1 intake were more likely to be more physically active, have never smoked, have a higher degree of education, have a higher income, have a higher total energy intake, and have an overall healthier underlying dietary pattern. For vitamin K2 intake, participants in the highest vs lowest intake quintile were more likely to be men, be more physically active, be smokers, have a higher total energy intake, and have an overall unhealthier underlying dietary pattern.

A total of 8,726 individuals were hospitalized for ASCVD, 5,290 for IHD, 2,913 for ischaemic stroke, and 1,856 for PAD over 944,247 person‐years of follow‐up. There were 9,476 individuals who died without prior hospitalization for ASCVD.

The risk of an ASCVD‐related hospitalization was 21-percent lower among participants with the highest vs lowest intake of vitamin K1 (hazard ratio [HR], 0.79, 95 percent confidence interval [CI], 0.74–0.84) and 14-percent lower among those with the highest vs lowest intake of vitamin K2 (HR, 0.86, 95 percent CI, 0.81–0.91).

The findings underscore the potential importance of vitamin K for ASCVD prevention.