Phylloquinone vitamin K1 by Ray Sahelian, M.D.

There is debate in the medical community regarding the role of phylloquinone supplements as a treatment for osteoporosis.

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Effect of Vitamin K Supplementation on Bone Loss in Elderly Men and Women.
J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2008 Feb. Booth SL, Dallal G, Shea MK, Gundberg C, Peterson JW, Dawson-Hughes B.
USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University; Yale University School of Medicine, Department of Orthopaedics.
The objective of this study was to determine the effect of three-year vitamin K phylloquinone supplementation on change in bone mineral density of the femoral neck bone in older men and women who were calcium and vitamin D-replete. In this three year, double-blind, controlled trial, 452 men and women (60-80 y) were randomized equally to receive a multivitamin that contained either 500 microg/d or no vitamin K phylloquinone, plus a daily calcium (600 mg elemental calcium) and vitamin D 400 IU supplement. There were no differences in changes in bone mineral density measurements at any of the anatomical sites measured between the two groups. The group that received the vitamin K phylloquinone supplement had significantly higher phylloquinone and significantly lower % undercarboxylated osteocalcin concentrations compared to the group that did not receive phylloquinone. No other biochemical measures differed between the two groups. Vitamin K Phylloquinone supplementation in a dose attainable in the diet does not confer any additional benefit for bone health at the spine or hip when taken with recommended amounts of calcium and vitamin D.

Plasma phylloquinone (vitamin K1) concentration and its relationship to intake in British adults aged 19-64 years.
Br J Nutr. 2006 Dec;96(6):1116-24. MRC Human Nutrition Research, Elsie Widdowson Laboratory, Fulbourn Road, Cambridge CB1 9NL, UK.
Plasma phylloquinone (vitamin K1) concentration from non-fasted blood samples was examined by season, smoking status, socio-demographic factors and phylloquinone intake in a nationally representative sample of 1154 British individuals aged 19-64 years from the 2000-1 National Diet and Nutrition Survey. Geometric mean plasma phylloquinone concentration was 0.94 nmol/l, with 95% of values in the range 0.10-8.72 nmol/l. Plasma phylloquinone concentrations of 530 men were significantly higher than those of 624 women, independent of other factors. Women aged 19-34 years had significantly lower plasma phylloquinone concentration than their older counterparts. Women were also found to have lower plasma phylloquinone concentrations during summer compared with winter and spring. In contrast, plasma phylloquinone concentration in men did not vary significantly by season or any of the socio-demographic or lifestyle factors. Plasma phylloquinone concentrations were positively correlated with phylloquinone intake in men and women. Overall, forward stepwise multiple regression analysis revealed that 8% of the variation in plasma phylloquinone concentration was explained by phylloquinone intake, with a further 10% of its variation explained by plasma concentrations of gamma-tocopherol (6%) and retinyl palmitate (4%). After adjustment for age and corresponding nutrient intakes, plasma phylloquinone concentration was significantly associated (each P<0.01) with plasma concentrations of total and LDL-cholesterol, alpha- and gamma-tocopherols, retinyl palmitate, beta-carotene, lycopene and lutein plus zeaxanthin in men and women.

Phylloquinone and cancer
Dietary intake of vitamin K and risk of prostate cancer in the Heidelberg cohort of the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC-Heidelberg).Am J Clin Nutr. 2008. Division of Cancer Epidemiology, German Cancer Research Centre, Heidelberg, Germany.
We evaluated the association between dietary intake of phylloquinone (vitamin K1) and menaquinones (vitamin K2) and total and advanced prostate cancer in the Heidelberg cohort of the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition. DESIGN: At baseline, habitual dietary intake was assessed by means of a food-frequency questionnaire. Dietary intake of phylloquinone and menaquinones (MK-4-14) was estimated by using previously published HPLC-based food-content data. During a mean follow-up time of 8.6 y, 268 incident cases of prostate cancer, including 113 advanced cases, were identified. We observed a nonsignificant inverse association between total prostate cancer and total menaquinone intake. The association was stronger for advanced prostate cancer. Menaquinones from dairy products had a stronger inverse association with advanced prostate cancer than did menaquinones from meat. Phylloquinone intake was unrelated to prostate cancer incidence. Our results suggest an inverse association between the intake of menaquinones, but not that of phylloquinone, and prostate cancer. Further studies of dietary vitamin K and prostate cancer are warranted.