Relationship between vitamin K status, bone mineral density, and hs-CRP in young Korean women

Vitamin K intake has been reported as an essential factor for bone formation. The current study was conducted under the hypothesis that insufficient vitamin K intake would affect inflammatory markers and bone mineral density in young adult women. The study was a cross-sectional design that included 75 women in their 20s. Physical assessments, bone mineral density measurements, 24-hr dietary recalls, and biochemical assessments for high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) and percentages of undercarboxylated osteocalcin (%ucOC) were performed. An analysis of vitamin K nutritional status was performed comparing first, second, and third tertiles of intake based on %ucOC in plasma. Vitamin K intake levels in the first, second, and third tertiles were 94.88 ± 51.48 µg, 73.85 ± 45.15 µg, and 62.58 ± 39.92 µg, respectively (P < 0.05). The T-scores of the first and third tertiles were 1.06 and -0.03, respectively, indicating that bone mineral density was significantly lower in the group with lower vitamin K intake (P < 0.05). There was a tendency for different serum hs-CRP concentrations between the first (0.04 ± 0.02) and third tertiles (0.11 ± 0.18), however this was not statistically significant. Regression analysis was performed to identify the correlations between vitamin K nutritional status, inflammatory markers, and bone mineral density after adjusting for age and BMI. Serum hs-CRP concentrations were positively correlated with vitamin K deficiency status (P < 0.05). And bone mineral density, which was represented by speed, was negatively correlated with vitamin K deficiency status (P < 0.05). In conclusion, status of vitamin K affects inflammatory status and bone formation. Therefore, sufficient intake of vitamin K is required to secure peak bone mass in young adult women.