Vitamin K supplementation may reduce risk of development of type 2 diabetes

The researchers showed a significant effect of vitamin K supplementation on the regulation of fasting blood sugar (FBS) and Homeostasis Model Assessment of Insulin Resistance (HOMA-IR) in the population. Further, vitamin K was associated with a reduced risk of type 2 diabetes development.

"A meta-analysis of seven studies comprising 813 participants found vitamin K supplementation significantly reduced FBS (SMD = −0.150 mg dl−1) and HOMA-IR (SMD = −0.200), but not FINS," the researchers wrote.

Previous studies have demonstrated the potential role of vitamin K supplementation in the treatment and prevention of many diseases. However, there is a controversy around the effect of vitamin K supplementation on blood glucose. Therefore, Boyang Qu, Department of Neurology and Neuroscience Center, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, China, and colleagues aimed to evaluate the effects of vitamin K supplementation on glycemia-related indicators, including fasting blood sugar, fasting insulin (FINS), and Homeostasis Model Assessment of Insulin Resistance. They also evaluated the potential association between vitamin K and type 2 diabetes risk.

For this purpose, they searched the online databases up to April 2023 to evaluate the effects of vitamin K on blood glucose and the risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

The researchers reported the following findings:

• A meta-analysis of seven studies (813 participants) found vitamin K supplementation significantly reduced FBS (SMD = −0.150 mg dl−1) and HOMA-IR (SMD = −0.200), but not FINS.
• Five studies with a total of 105,798 participants were included in the meta-analysis of the association between vitamin K and T2DM.
• The results showed that vitamin K was associated with the reduced risk of developing T2DM (HR = 0.79)

"The meta-analysis showed that vitamin K supplementation had a significant effect on the regulation of HOMA-IR and fasting blood sugar in the population," the researchers wrote. "Moreover, vitamin K was associated with a reduced risk of developing type 2 diabetes."

"Considering some limitations found in this study, there is a need for additional data from large clinical trials," they concluded.

Reference:

Qu, Boyang, et al. "The Relationship Between Vitamin K and T2DM: a Systematic Review and Meta-analysis." Food & Function, 2023.