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(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Researchers ended with mixed results in a study designed to see if daily supplements of vitamin K1 would protect women at risk for osteoporosis.
While the treatment showed no effect on bone mineral density -- women taking the supplement lost about the same amount of bone as women taking a placebo -- women on the active treatment were less likely to break a bone and also less likely to develop cancer.
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However, the numbers in both of these cases were relatively small. For example, 9 women in the vitamin K group experienced a fracture versus 20 in the placebo group, and 3 versus 12 came down with cancer. So the investigators urge caution in interpreting the study results and recommend women do not start taking vitamin K supplements to reduce their fracture or cancer risk.
The study was led by investigators from the University of Toronto, who randomly assigned 440 postmenopausal women with osteopenia, the precursor to full blown osteoporosis, to either a high dose of vitamin K1 daily or a placebo for comparison purposes. The women were followed for two years, with about 260 continuing on the treatments for another two years so the researchers could better assess long term effects.
The authors believe larger studies are warranted to assess vitamin Ks effects on fractures and cancer.
SOURCE: PLoS Medicine, published online October 13, 2008
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