Vitamin K Content Of Us Dairy Foods And The Association With Fat Content

Vitamin K is an essential nutrient that has been implicated in cardiovascular disease and other chronic diseases. There are multiple forms of vitamin K. Phylloquinone (PK, vitamin K1) is plant-based and has been well-quantified in the US diet. Menaquinones (MK, vitamin K2) are a class of vitamin K compounds that differ from PK in the length and saturation of their side chain. Although MK are found in animal products and fermented food, their contents of foods have not been well characterized. The objectives of this study were to: 1) quantify, using mass spectrometry technology, the different forms of MK (MK4 through MK13 in the following commonly consumed dairy foods: milk (n=40 samples), yogurt (n=17), Greek yogurt (n=16), and cheeses (n=81); and 2) compare the MK contents of full-fat, reduced-fat and non-fat milk, yogurt, Greek yogurt, cottage cheese and cheddar cheese. All dairy samples were either obtained through USDA’s National Food and Nutrient Analysis Program or purchased from retail outlets. Tot...