Abstract
Objective: Osteoporosis is a bone disease characterized by bone mass reduction with a prevalence of approximately 34-48% in Saudi Arabia. Many risk factors can increase osteoporosis fracture, including low vitamin K levels. However, its exact role on bone mineral density (BMD) remains under investigated. This study aims to determine whether dietary vitamin K is associated with BMD, inflammation, undercarboxylated osteocalcin (ucOC) and other bone markers among adult Saudi females.
Methods: A total of 138 Saudi females aged 25 and above were recruited from different primary health care centers in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and were divided according to BMD status (N = 53 normal; N = 85 low BMD). Each participant completed a food frequency questionnaire. Anthropometrics were measured and serum 25(OH)D and vitamin K, bone markers (ucOC and CTX) and cytokines (IL-6, TNF-alpha) were assessed using assays.
Results: Low dietary vitamin K intakes were observed in both groups, ranging only 16-19 mu g/day. A positive association was seen between dietary vitamin K and IL-6 in low BMD group and TNF-alpha in all participants. No significant association was seen between dietary vitamin K and BMD.
Conclusion: Dietary vitamin K is significantly associated with inflammation and not BMD in adult Saudi females. The alarmingly low dietary vitamin K intake is worth investigating further. (C) 2020 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of King Saud University.