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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Boston, Massachusetts » Jean Mayer Human Nutrition Research Center On Aging » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #348505
Research Project: Nutrients, Aging, and Musculoskeletal Function

Location: Jean Mayer Human Nutrition Research Center On Aging

Title: Trends in the content and forms of vitamin K in processed foods

Author
item BROWN-RAMOS, MONICA - Jean Mayer Human Nutrition Research Center On Aging At Tufts University
item CENTI, AMANDA - Jean Mayer Human Nutrition Research Center On Aging At Tufts University
item Haytowitz, David
item BOOTH, SARAH - Jean Mayer Human Nutrition Research Center On Aging At Tufts University

Submitted to: Journal of Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 2/6/2015
Publication Date: 4/1/2015
Citation: Brown-Ramos, M., Centi, A., Haytowitz, D.B., Booth, S.L. 2015. Trends in the content and forms of vitamin K in processed foods. Journal of Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology. 29(1):739.6.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: High intake of trans fatty acids has been linked to deleterious health effects including increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Since 2006, the Food and Drug Administration requires companies to label the trans fatty acid content of foods, which has resulted in an overall decrease of commercially-hydrogenated oils in the food supply. It is not known if an unanticipated consequence due to changes in use of hydrogenated oils in the food supply resulted in a change in the forms and amount of vitamin K (VK) of processed foods. To test this, we compared 253 foods for individual forms of VK in foods analyzed pre- and post-2006 as part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Nutrient and Food Analysis Program. Forms of VK were analyzed via HPLC. Overall, foods identified as rich sources of the hydrogenated form of VK pre-2006 (dihydrophylloquinone; dK), had lower amounts of dK with a concomitant increase in the parent form of VK, phylloquinone (PK). For example, dK in chocolate chip cookies decreased (48.2 +/- 38.5 micrograms/100g pre-2006 vs 0.3 +/- 0.6 micrograms/100g post-2006) but PK increased (11.9 +/- 9.0 micrograms/100g pre-2006 vs 22.5 +/- 17.1 micrograms/100g post-2006). However, the range of dK was large within foods, suggestive of a wide range of current practices regarding use of hydrogenated oils in the U.S. food supply. Updated VK food composition data that captures trends in processed foods is beneficial to health care providers who counsel patients on oral anticoagulants where monitoring of dietary VK is necessary to sustain stability of oral anticoagulants.