UTRECHT, The Netherlands—Both phylloquinone and menaquinones—forms of vitamin K— may be associated with a reduced risk of type 2 diabetes according to a Dutch study published Diabetes Care (2010;33(8):1699-1705). Researchers used data from a prospective cohort study in 38,094 Dutch men and women, aged 20 to 70 years. Dietary phylloquinone and menaquinones intakes were assessed using a validated food frequency questionnaire. Diabetes case patients were ascertained mainly via self-report and verified against medical records.
During 10.3 years of follow-up, 918 incident cases of diabetes were documented. In a multivariate model adjusting for diabetes risk factors and dietary factors, phylloquinone intake tended to be associated (P=0.08) with a reduced risk of type 2 diabetes with a hazard ratio (HR) of 0.81 for the highest versus the lowest quartile. For menaquinones intake, a linear, inverse association (P=0.038) with risk of type 2 diabetes was observed with an HR of 0.93 for each 10-μg increment in the multivariate model.
