
A new study published August 9, 2023, in ERJ Open Research indicates that people who have low levels of vitamin K may have poorer lung function. According to the European Respiratory Society (ERS), people with less healthy lungs are more likely to suffer from COPD, asthma, wheezing and other lung conditions.
A team of Danish researchers from Copenhagen University Hospital and the University of Copenhagen completed the study, which included approximately 4,000 patients aged 24 to 77 years old and living in Copenhagen at the time. Participants completed a spirometry test, gave blood samples and answered a health and lifestyle questionnaire. The combined results revealed that low levels of vitamin K in a person’s blood markers correlated to lower FEV (forced expiratory volume) and FVC (forced vital capacity) on average.
These findings are not enough to amend the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s current recommendations of vitamin K intake. Foods such as leafy green vegetables, vegetable oils and cereal grains contain high amounts of vitamin K. This nutrient helps the body heal, but its impact on lung health is largely unknown. Further research is required to determine if and how people would benefit from taking vitamin K supplements.
“We already know that vitamin K has an important role in the blood, and research is beginning to show that it’s also important in heart and bone health, but there’s been very little research looking at vitamin K and the lungs,” said researcher Torkil Jespersen, MD. “To our knowledge, this is the first study on vitamin K and lung function in a large general population. Our results suggest that vitamin K could play a part in keeping our lungs healthy.”
The research team will incorporate lung function analysis into a larger existing clinical trial (the InterVitaminK trial) that is evaluating the effects of vitamin K on heart and bone health.