Dietary Vitamin K Intake and Incident Aortic Valve Stenosis

Background: Leaflet calcification contributes to the development and progression of aortic valve stenosis. Vitamin K activates inhibitors of vascular calcification and may modulate inflammation and skeletal bone loss. Therefore, we aimed to determine whether higher dietary intakes of vitamin K are associated with a lower incidence of aortic stenosis.

Methods: In the Danish Diet, Cancer and Health study, participants aged 50 to 64 years completed a 192-item food frequency questionnaire at baseline, from which habitual intakes of vitamin K were estimated. Participants were prospectively followed using linkage to nationwide registers to determine incident aortic valve stenosis (primary outcome) and aortic stenosis with subsequent complications (aortic valve replacement, heart failure, or cardiovascular disease-related mortality; secondary outcome).

Results: In 55 545 participants who were followed for a maximum of 21.5 years, 1085 were diagnosed with aortic stenosis and 615 were identified as having subsequent complications. Participants in the highest quintile of vitamin K intake had a 23% lower risk of aortic stenosis (hazard ratio, 0.77 [95% CI, 0.63-0.94]) and a 27% lower risk of aortic stenosis with subsequent complications (hazard ratio, 0.73 [95% CI, 0.56-0.95]), compared with participants in the lowest quintile after adjusting for demographics and cardiovascular risk factors.

Conclusions: In this study, a high intake of vitamin K-rich foods was associated with a lower incidence of aortic stenosis and a lower risk of aortic stenosis with subsequent complications.