title: Vitamin K status may be an important determinant of childhood bone health.
abstract: There has been relatively little research emphasis on the effect of vitamin K on bone health during childhood. Recent interesting data from an observational study of healthy young girls (aged 3-16 years) in the United States suggests that better vitamin K status is associated with lower levels of markers of bone resorption and bone formation, suggesting a lower rate of bone turnover. However, in that study, vitamin K status was not consistently associated with bone mineral content or gain in bone mineral content over 4 years. There is a need for randomized phylloquinone supplementation trials to better understand the role of vitamin K on bone acquisition in growing children.
authors.affiliation: Department of Food and Nutritional Sciences and the Department of Medicine, University College, Cork, Ireland. k.cashman@ucc.ie
authors.forename: Kevin D
authors.initials: KD
authors.lastname: Cashman
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015519:Bone Density / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D001846:Bone Development / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D001842:Bone and Bones / Q000378:metabolism*; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009752:Nutritional Status; D014812:Vitamin K / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000378:metabolism*; D014813:Vitamin K Deficiency / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology; D014815:Vitamins / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D014815:Vitamins; D014812:Vitamin K