Skip to main content
ARS Home » Northeast Area » Boston, Massachusetts » Jean Mayer Human Nutrition Research Center On Aging » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #220564
Title: Vitamin K and Health in the Aged

Author
item TRUONG, JENNIFER - JM USDA HNRCA @ TUFTS
item Booth, Sarah

Submitted to: Handbook of Nutrition in the Aged
Publication Type: Book / Chapter
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/1/2008
Publication Date: 1/1/2009
Citation: Truong, J.T., Booth, S.L. 2009. Vitamin K and Health in the Aged. In: Watson, R.R., editor. Handbook of Nutrition in the Aged. 4th edition. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press. p. 167-180.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Poor vitamin K nutrition has been linked to several chronic diseases associated with abnormal calcification, which affect many elderly. On the whole, elderly persons consume more vitamin K than young adults, although there are subgroups of the elderly population who do not meet the current recommended dietary intakes for this nutrient. However, the comparison of vitamin K status among different ages is hampered by our limited understanding of the influence of circulating lipids on the interpretation of measures of vitamin K status. Because the emphasis on vitamin K nutrition in the elderly has focused on its putative role on bone health, there are a disproportional number of studies conducted exclusively in postmenopausal women, with little known about vitamin K status in elderly men. More research is needed to determine what forms and amounts of vitamin K should be consumed to optimize health. Development of novel techniques to measure vitamin K status have aided in improving the body of research in the field of vitamin K nutrition, but more research is required to identify non-dietary determinants of vitamin K status and their impact on the elderly. Areas of promising research include genetic and hormonal influences on vitamin K metabolism.