BOSTON, Feb. 19 (UPI) -- Seniors aren't consuming enough vitamin K and studies should continue to examine non-dietary factors related to vitamin K, says a U.S. researcher.
Sarah Booth, lab director of the Vitamin K Laboratory at the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University, reviewed studies regarding vitamin K status among the elderly.
Although older adults seem to consume more vitamin K than younger adults, many seniors are still not meeting the recommended intake of vitamin K, according to Booth.
"Research has shown poor vitamin K intake may be associated with conditions such as bone fractures, bone loss, hardening of the arteries and osteoarthritis," says Booth, who is also a professor at the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University.
"More research is also needed to determine vitamin K status of elderly men, as well as to determine what populations, if any, might benefit from vitamin K supplements," says Booth.
The findings are published in Current Opinion in Clinical Nutrition and Metabolic Care.
