Roles for Vitamin K Beyond Coagulation

Abstract

Recent interest in vitamin K has been motivated by evidence of physiological roles beyond that of coagulation. Vitamin K and vitamin K–dependent (VKD) proteins may be involved in regulation of calcification, energy metabolism, and inflammation. However, the evidence for many of these proposed roles in the maintenance of health is equivocal. There is also an emerging viewpoint that the biochemical function of vitamin K may extend beyond that of a cofactor for the VKD carboxylation of glutamyl residues (Glus) to carboxylated Glus in VKD proteins.