Vitamin K and Insulin Resistance in Horses

Insulin resistance among horses has become a prevalent concern. Over the past few years, the medical community’s knowledge regarding the diagnosis and treatment of insulin resistance has improved dramatically, but room for improvement exists. According to a recent review of the topic*, researchers described the role of vitamin K in helping improve insulin sensitivity and glucose control, and preventing insulin resistance.

“Vitamin K is a fat-soluble vitamin that is well known for its role in blood coagulation, but vitamin K is also important in bone metabolism, immune function, programmed cell death, energy production, and the development of spermatozoa,” explained Kathleen Crandell, Ph.D., an equine nutritionist for Kentucky Equine Research.

According to researchers, the exact means by which vitamin K benefits patients with insulin dysregulation remain unclear, but the following mechanisms were suggested:

• One vitamin K-dependent protein, osteocalcin (OC), plays an important role in bone formation. It also improves multiplication of pancreatic β cells that produce insulin and insulin secretion;
• OC is also believed to impact the expression of adiponectin by fat cells, known also as adipocytes. In turn, adiponectin, a protein hormone, controls glucose and insulin metabolism;
• Inflammatory adipokines, such as leptin, are small cell-signaling proteins produced by adipocytes. Lower levels of adipokines were noted in patients with higher dietary vitamin K1 intake, which had a beneficial impact on insulin resistance; and
• Vitamin K is believed to have innate anti-inflammatory properties, potentially by inhibiting the production of pro-inflammatory molecules such as interleukin-6 and tumor necrosis factor-α.

The National Research Council states that the exact daily dietary requirement of vitamin K for horses remains unknown, but horses are thought to obtain sufficient vitamin K (vitamin K1, specifically) from forage and grains.

“More is not better when it comes to micronutrients. They must be consumed in balance, and oversupplementation can cause more detriment than good,” reminded Crandell. “A well-formulated vitamin and mineral supplement like Micro-Max has a balanced formulation with the necessary amounts of micronutrients, including vitamin K.”

Micro-Max is available in the U.S. Other high-quality products, such as Gold Pellet and Nutrequin, are available from KER in Australia.

*Manna, P., and J. Kalita. 2016. Beneficial role of vitamin K supplementation on insulin sensitivity, glucose metabolism, and the reduced risk of type 2 diabetes: A review. Nutrition. 32:732-739.