Obesity & Vitamin K Status

Vitamin K is one of the fat-soluble vitamins (along with vitamins A, D, and E) and has an essential role in the support of normal blood clotting.  While some research has suggested that the level of obesity might effect the blood levels of vitamin A and E, little research has apparently been done on vitamin K in relation to obesity.  A recently published study examined the impact of obesity on vitamin K status in men and women.

In this new nutrition study, researchers conducted two separate trials to determine if vitamin K is stored in body fat and to determine the relationship between body fat level and vitamin K status.  In the first trial, the study results showed that vitamin K was not only stored in body fat tissue, but was observed at higher levels in body fat than levels reported in other types of body tissues.  In the second trial, a couple of interesting associations between body fat level and vitamin K status were noted:

• In women, a higher body fat percentage was related to lower vitamin K levels in the blood.
• In both men and women, increased levels of body fat were associated with lower utilization of vitamin K.  

These study results suggest that obesity appears to be related to increased body stores of vitamin K, but lower utilization and blood levels of this important vitamin.  Overall, this study indicates that obesity might lead to poor vitamin K status.  Because vitamin K can be easily obtained in the diet from foods like cabbage, cauliflower, cereals, and spinach, vitamin K deficiency is rare.  However, treatment with antibiotics or weight loss drugs that block fat absorption can lead to poor vitamin K status.  For overweight individuals looking to lose weight, the combination of higher body fat levels and the use of weight loss drugs might have an important negative impact on vitamin K levels.  While additional studies will need to be done to clarify this relationship between obesity and vitamin K status, it might be a good idea to keep these results in mind when making dietary choices.  When attempting to lose weight, make sure to follow a well-balanced, healthy eating plan and possibly talk to a healthcare provider about supplementing your diet plan with good multivitamin/multimineral.

My easy diet plan is a delicious and simple way to either lose that extra weight or to maintain a healthy weight.  To learn more, visit us at www.drtabor.com.