Free Republic

New insights into the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease could unlock novel therapeutic approaches and help to prevent the disease. A study has shed light on a bidirectional interaction in the body's fat metabolism that could play an important role in the development of the disease. Dietary and other lifestyle factors such as smoking also play a role. One protein that is known to play a key role in Alzheimer's disease is the amyloid-beta peptide. "This small amyloid-beta protein accumulates in the form of hardened plaques within a patient's brain. Amyloid-beta is a key element in the development of Alzheimer's and...

Patients who have suffered a heart attack should immediately be offered a combination of cholesterol lowering drugs with statins and ezetimibe, according to research. The study showed that people with acute coronary syndrome (ACS), which includes those who have experienced a heart attack or unstable angina, are 47% less likely to die within three years if they start taking a high dose statin and ezetimibe straight away, compared to those only taking a high dose statin. Researchers say that if treatment guidelines are changed to reflect these findings, it could prevent many thousands of deaths each year. The study included...

Abstract Arterial calcification (AC) is generally regarded as an independent risk factor for cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. In rats, inactivation of MGP by treatment with the vitamin K antagonist warfarin leads to rapid calcification of the arteries. Both of the Vitamin K (VK)-rich diets decreased the arterial calcium content by some 50%. In addition, arterial distensibility was restored by the VK-rich diet. Using MGP antibodies, local VK deficiency was demonstrated at sites of calcification. This is the first study in rats demonstrating that AC and the resulting decreased arterial distensibility are reversible by high-VK intake. Introduction Arterial calcification is an...

People with low levels of vitamin K in their blood are more likely to have poor lung function and to say they suffer with asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and wheezing, according to a study. Vitamin K is found in leafy green vegetables, vegetable oils and cereal grains. It plays a role in blood clotting. Researchers say their new findings do not alter current advice on vitamin K intake, but they do support further research to see if some people could benefit from taking vitamin K supplements. The study involved a group of 4,092 people aged between 24 and...

Canadian researchers have identified a new role for vitamin K and gamma-carboxylation in beta cells and their potentially protective role in diabetes. The study explains, at least in part, how vitamin K helps prevent diabetes, and could lead to new therapeutic applications for type 2 diabetes. Vitamin K is a micronutrient known for its role in blood clotting, in particular in gamma-carboxylation, an enzymatic reaction essential to the process. It has been suspected for several years that this vitamin, and thus gamma-carboxylation, may have other functions as well. Several studies suggest a link between a reduced intake of vitamin K...

Breaking bones can be life changing events—especially as we age, when hip fractures can become particularly damaging and result in disability, compromised independence and a higher mortality risk. But research has revealed there may be something you can do to help reduce your risk of fractures later in life. It found women who ate more than 100 micrograms of vitamin K1 consumption—equivalent to about 125g of dark leafy vegetables, or one-to-two serves of vegetables—were 31% less likely to have any fracture compared to participants who consumed less than 60 micrograms per day, which is the current vitamin K adequate intake...

In a new study conducted in rats, scientists report evidence that vitamin K could help protect against aging-related cognitive declines associated with Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia. "Vitamin K2 demonstrated very promising impact in hindering aging-related behavioral, functional, biochemical and histopathological changes in the senile aging brain," said Mohamed El-Sherbiny, Ph.D. Vitamin K is a group of compounds that includes vitamin K1, found in leafy greens and some other vegetables, and vitamin K2, found in meats, cheeses and eggs. Previous studies have linked vitamin K with processes involved in brain functioning, and some studies have associated vitamin K...

7 Reasons Not to Take Vitamin K with D If it isn’t clear from the title of my blog yet, I’ll make it clear. I don’t normally recommend combo supplements of vitamin D3 with vitamin K (either K1 or K2). I get asked all the time why my brand of D3 doesn’t have K in it, and it would have been cheap and easy to put it in there but I chose not to, because of SO many reasons which I’ll discuss today, but mainly because the combination can increase risk of kidney stones (within a few years) and may...

New research from Trinity College and University of Edinburgh has examined the association between vitamin D and COVID-19, and found that ambient ultraviolet B (UVB) radiation (which is key for vitamin D production in the skin) at an individual's place of residence in the weeks before COVID-19 infection, was strongly protective against severe disease and death. Previous studies have linked vitamin D deficiency with an increased susceptibility to viral and bacterial respiratory infections. Similarly, several observational studies found a strong correlation between vitamin D deficiency and COVID-19. To overcome this, researchers were able to calculate "genetically-predicted" vitamin D level, that...

Arterial stiffness increases risk of cardiovascular disorders and dementia. A clinical trial using long-acting vitamin K2 showed significant reductions of arterial stiffening. This provides a new opportunity to restore more youthful flexibility to aging blood vessels. Healthy arteries expand and contract smoothly with each heartbeat. With age, soft tissues such as arteries stiffen and lose youthful flexibility. The phrase "hardening of the arteries" describes loss of arterial elasticity and obstructed blood flow. This "hardening" is an important predictor of heart attack and stroke. WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW Arterial calcification is the build up of calcium inside the artery walls...

Prostaglandin, a potent bone-resorbing agent, is synthesized in osteoblast-like cells. Since vitamin K reportedly plays an important role in (viscosity, clotting &) bone metabolism, we investigated the effects of vitamin K2 (menatetrenone) on PGE2 production by human osteoblast-like periosteal cells. In cells incubated with menatetrenone (1 microgram/mL = 2.25 x 10(-6) M) for 2 days, PGE2 production was reduced to 50% of that in untreated control cells. In one of these menatetrenone at doses of 0.5-10 micrograms/mL dose dependently inhibited the calcium ionophore A23187-induced release of arachidonic acid (AA) from membrane phospholipids, and in the other the conversion of AA...

Most seniors may suffer from some degree of vitamin D deficiency, according to a study from researchers at University of California at Davis and Rutgers University. For the study the researchers surveyed 400 men and women with an average age of 76 in either good health or with mild cognitive impairment. They found that nearly all of the participants showed low levels of vitamin D with 26 percent displaying a deficiency and 35 percent show what they classified as insufficiency. "This work, and that of others, suggests that there is enough evidence to recommend that people in their 60s and...

Vitamin K is absolutely essential to build strong bones -- and it is proven to prevent heart disease. For several years, compelling evidence has shown that most people don't get enough vitamin K to protect their health through the foods they eat.Green leafy vegetables supply almost half of the vitamin K for the majority of Americans. Most foods considered rich in vitamin K have shown to have less vitamin K than previously thought. Despite this vital information, the majority of multi-vitamins don't contain any vitamin K at all -- and those that do don't contain enough.Recent research supporting vitamin...