April is Autism Awareness Month and last year we started this ABC’s of Autism Series. This year we are picking up where we left off last April and digging into the letter K!
K is for Vitamin K…there are two important ones to discuss: K1 and K2. Let’s start at the very beginning… it’s a very good place to start. Both Vitamin K1 and K2 are fat soluable vitamins along with their partners Vitamin A, D and E, meaning that when consumed with fat they are better absorbed and are not easily “flushed” from the body in water, but instead excess amounts of these vitamins can be “stored” in fat in the body. Beacuse of this reason, it is important to test for vitamin levels prior to supplementing with fat soluble vitamins, so excess absorbtion can be monitored.
Vitamin K1 also called phylloquinone is found mostly in green leafy vegtables. This type makes up somewhere between 75-90% of what we consume as humans. Kale Collard greens and spinach contain some of the highest amounts of Vitamin K1 in food sources.
Vitamin K2 also callded menaquinones (MKs) and based on the length of the chain range from MK4-13. This type of Vitamin K comes from fermented food and animal products as well as being produced by beneficial gut bacteria. Natto, a fermented soybean product from Japan is especially high in K2 (specifically MK-7)
More infor on the basics from the Merck Manual.
So now that we have some of the basics… what does vitamin K have to do with Autism.
Many know vitamin K to be involved with blood clotting, which it is… specifically Vitamin K1 and the infamous Vitamin K “Shot” that is given to many newborns to prevent vitamin K deficiency bleeding (VKDB). While those with autism are not commonly known to have a co-morbidity of blood clotting disorders, you may still be wondering what does Vitamin K have to do with Autism.
Let me share a story… I have heard from numerous parents of children with autism that they have seen their child’s behavior drastically worsens upon giving their child calcium supplments. I even had one mother who wasn not supplementing with calcium but who determined the calcium fortified orange juice turned her child into a behavioral nightmare, but when she bought the store brand that was not fortified, her child was able to follow directions and was pleasant and happy. Why could this be and what does it have to do with Vitamin K2?
The big clue comes from when you realize Vitamin K1(some- what) and K2 (more so) role in calcium homeostasis, bone health and even cardivascular health and when you consider a vast amount of our vitamin K2 is made by a healthy gut bacteria. It is well know that individuals with autism experience gastrointestinal disorders and issues at a higher rate than others, and many of these individuals have been found to have impaired gut bacteria (microbiomes). The body needs Vitamin K2, and without it the body cannot direct calcium to the bones where it’s needed; instead, the calcium resides in soft tissue (like the blood vessles/arteries and in the brain)–which can be termed the “calcium paradox.”
There is much much more science behind this, too much to explain here, but consider this landmark study looking at the nutrition status in children and adults with autism . It found that that Vitamin K (and Biotin) had the strongest correlation with the Parent Global Impression (PGI-R) scale:
“Regression analysis revealed that the degree of improvement on the Average Change of the PGI-R was strongly associated with several biomarkers (adj. R2 = 0.61, p < 0.0005) with the initial levels of biotin and vitamin K being the most significant (p < 0.05); both biotin and vitamin K are made by beneficial intestinal flora.
Is vitamin K status significant for those families impacted by autism?
Yes!
Is more research needed to determine how and why and what can be done to help?
Yes!
In the meantime, due to the readily available testing and supplementation via food and over the counter supplements, we hope this K is for Vitamin K presents some research and questions that families can discuss with their pediatrician or specialist on their next visit. If we can be of assistance in helping you talk with your doctor, please contact us here.
More Resources:
You can learn much more about calcium and the Vitamin K2 Link by reading this book: The Calcium Paradox by Kate Rheaume Bleue.
One Mom’s Story of Vitamin K and her Daughter’s Autism
This Site shares MANY studies connecting Calcium Homeostasis, Autism and K2