Effect of Vitamin K and Alendronate Combination Treatment on Bone Mineral Density of Postmenopausal Osteoporosis Patients: A Pilot Study

Osteoporosis is a common problem in postmenopausal women. Numerous studies investigated the effects of vitamin K on bone health, which yielded conflicting results. In this study, we aimed to compare the effect of vitamin K and alendronate combination with alendronate alone on Bone Mineral Density (BMD) of women with postmenopausal osteoporosis. This study was performed in Imam Reza Hospital of Mashhad, Iran, during 14 months (January 1, 2014-February 29, 2015). Our patients (n=28) were randomly divided into two groups of receiving calcium, vitamin D, and alendronate (n=13) and receiving the same combination + vitamin K1 supplement (10 mg daily) (n=15). BMD was measured pre- and post-intervention by the same bone scanner. The baseline characteristics of the two groups did not differ significantly. The mean variation in femoral neck BMD of the alendronate and alendronate + vitamin K groups were -4.20±11.91% and 0.39±11.80%, respectively. There was no significant difference between the two groups in terms of mean change in femoral neck BMD (P=0.32). The mean variations in lumbar spine BMD of the alendronate and alendronate + vitamin K groups were 0.71±0.06% and 0.76±0.11%, respectively. There was no significant difference between the two groups in terms of mean change in lumbar spine BMD (P=0.24). It was found that combined treatment with vitamin K and alendronate was not more effective than alendronate alone in increasing BMD of postmenopausal osteoporosis patients.