A narrative review of vitamin K forms in cheese and their potential role in cardiovascular disease

Abstract

Vitamin K collectively describes fat‐soluble vitamins containing 2‐methyl‐1,4‐naphthoquinone, including two naturally‐occurring forms: phylloquinone (K1) and a range of menaquinones, MK4‐M13 (K2). Leafy vegetables are the main dietary source of K1, whereas K2 is mainly bacterially synthesised and found in fermented foods, including dairy foods, and some animal sources. Studies suggest that vitamin K may be important for cardiovascular health, due to its role in inhibiting vascular calcification, but food source data, particularly for K2 forms, is lacking. This information could help to clarify recent associations between cheese consumption and reduced CVD risk and would be of use in future epidemiological studies.

Insights into Health-Promoting Components in Cheese beyond Bioactive Peptides

“…For instance, this effect has been attributed to the metabolites produced by bacteria contained in the cheese . Vitamin K is a group of fat-soluble vitamins (K1, K2, K3), which have a potential role in cardiovascular disease, due to inhibiting vascular calcification …”

“…57 Vitamin K is a group of fat-soluble vitamins (K1, K2, K3), which have a potential role in cardiovascular disease, due to inhibiting vascular calcification. 58 A study of a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, reported by Asoudeh et al, 59 examined patients with mild to moderate severity of rheumatoid arthritis who received 30 g/day of probiotic cheese for 12 weeks. In this sense, the presence of probiotics might be beneficial as adjuvant therapy for preventing rheumatoid arthritis.…”

Development of low‐fat Mozzarella cheeses enriched with soy or pea protein hydrolysates: Composition, texture and functional properties during ageing

“…2021; Zhou et al . 2022). However, several studies have revealed that obesity, diabetes, atherosclerosis, hyperlipidaemia, gallstones and gout are generally attributed to the massive intake of fat‐rich foods, especially full‐fat cheese (Khaodhiar et al .…”

Life cycle assessment of minas frescal cheese and cured minas cheese: a comparative analysis

“…Recent studies have shown that all these nutrients together may reduce the potential risk of cardiovascular diseases (Feeney et al, 2021). According to Zhou et al (2022), fermented cheeses contain vitamin K2, which is also associated with benefits in preventing cardiovascular health.…”