Vitamin K1 May Play Role in Protecting Against Diabetes
Supplements of vitamin K1 may reduce the development of insulin resistance in older men, offering protection against diabetes, according to a new study published in the journal Diabetes Care.
Insulin resistance, whereby normal amounts of insulin are inadequate to produce a normal insulin response from fat, muscle and liver cells, was significantly lower in men following a daily vitamin K1 supplement, according to results of the 36-month, randomized, double-blind, controlled trial.
The researchers, led by Sarah Booth from the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center at Tufts University, recruited 355 non-diabetic men and women between the ages of 60 and 80. Sixty percent of the participants were women. The participants were randomly assigned to receive a daily vitamin K1 supplement (500 mcg per day of phylloquinone), or placebo for 36 months.
At the end of the study, Booth and coworkers report that the benefits of vitamin K1 supplementation were different between the sexes. Indeed, only men were found to benefit. Among the male participants, a statistically significant reduction in insulin resistance was observed in those receiving the daily phylloquinone supplement, compared to placebo.
Diabetes Care Published online ahead of print.