by Rich Stacel

October 13, 2008

Saturday October 11, 2008 (foodconsumer.org) — A new study published online ahead of print in the journal Diabetes Care suggests that taking vitamin K1 supplements may help reduce risk of diabetes in older men.

The study led by Sarah Booth from the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center at Tufts University and colleagues   showed those who took vitamin k1 supplements reduced their risk of developing insulin resistance.

Insulin resistance is the condition in which normal amounts of insulin are produced but insulin does not respond adequately from fat, muscle and liver cells.

For the study researchers followed 355 non-diabetic men and women ages 60 to 80 with 60 percent women.   Participants were given vitamin k1 supplement at a dose of 500 micrograms per day of phylloquinone or placebo for 36 months.

Among men, but not women, those who took vitamin k1 supplement experienced a significant reduction in insulin resistance compared to the placebo group.