|  |  |  | | | | Vitamin K and Childhood Cancer | | | | |
| | The Vitamin K controversy
Newborn infants have very low levels of a substance called vitamin K, which is needed by the liver to produce clotting factors.
Vitamin K and clotting
Normally, vitamin K is produced by bacteria in the gut, and obtained from some foodstuffs. Infants fed on formula milk (bottle-fed) very rapidly build up reserves of vitamin K because the milk has vitamin K added. Babies solely or chiefly breast-fed will remain vitamin K deficient unless they are given a vitamin K supplement. Babies who are breast-fed and who do not receive vitamin K supplements are at risk of a condition called Vitamin K Deficiency Bleeding (VKDB).
From the 1950s until the 1990s it was standard practice to give supplementary vitamin K by injection into a muscle to all new born infants. In 1990 and 1992 Dr Jean Golding of Bristol published two reports which seemed to show that giving children intramuscular injections of vitamin K increased the risk of childhood cancer.
Although a number of subsequent studies have failed to confirm this relationship, and many governments and professional bodies have recommended intramuscular vitamin K as the preferred precaution, controversy continues.
An alternative route of vitamin K administration is as drops taken by mouth. Unfortunately, whereas one injection of vitamin K almost completely eliminates the risk of VKDB, oral vitamin K must be repeated as a course of at least three doses over several weeks. A study reported in 1994 showed that many infants did not receive the full course of oral vitamin K and so were not fully protected.
A recent paper from the UK Childhood Cancer Study concluded that "there is no convincing evidence that neonatal vitamin K administration, irrespective of the route by which it is given, influences the risk of children developing leukaemia or any other cancer".
The Leukaemia Research Fund has prepared a bibliography to assist health care professionals (and parents) in addressing this issue. Additionally we have prepared links which will search the US National Library of Medicine Medline database of medical literature.
Medline searches:
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