Dietary Vitamin K Intake and Fracture Risk: A Systematic Review and Dose-Response Meta-Analysis on the Interplay with...

Area of Science:

• Nutrition Science
• Epidemiology
• Gerontology

Background:

• Fractures pose a significant global health challenge, particularly for older adults, leading to increased morbidity and mortality.
• Existing research on the role of dietary vitamin K in fracture prevention has yielded inconsistent findings.
• The PROSPERO-registered systematic review (1016592) addresses this knowledge gap.

Purpose of the Study:

• To conduct a meta-analysis evaluating the association between dietary vitamin K intake and fracture risk.
• To perform a dose-response analysis to investigate potential non-linear relationships between vitamin K intake and fracture risk.

Main Methods:

• A comprehensive literature search was performed in PubMed and EMBASE databases (January 1966–July 2025).
• Data from six studies, including 93,776 participants and 1394 fracture events, were analyzed.
• The Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) framework was used to assess evidence certainty.

Main Results:

• Increased dietary vitamin K consumption showed a trend towards decreased overall fracture risk (Risk Ratio: 0.83, 95% CI: 0.68–1.01).
• A similar trend was observed for reduced hip fracture risk (Risk Ratio: 0.76, 95% CI: 0.56–1.02).
• Fracture risk decreased with dietary vitamin K intake up to 120 μg/day.

Conclusions:

• Dietary vitamin K intake may offer a protective effect against fractures.
• A U-shaped association between fracture risk and vitamin K intake at recommended dietary allowance (RDA) levels was observed.
• Further research is needed to explore different vitamin K forms and their impact on fracture risk at various skeletal sites in diverse populations.