Title: Association between vitamin C, D, and K intake and inflammatory bowel disease risk:
findings from 2009-2010 NHANES
Version: 0 Date: 31 Jan 2025
Reviewer:  Anwar Ashraf Abouelnasr
Reviewer's report:
Dear Authors, please address the following points below
-While the introduction discusses the potential roles of vitamins C, D, and K, it would be useful to
briefly highlight the gaps or controversies in the existing literature more explicitly. For example,
some studies suggest vitamin D may help with IBD, while others show mixed results. A clearer
explanation of why the role of vitamins C and K remains ambiguous would help underscore the
necessity of your study.
-Although the introduction mentions the potential roles of these vitamins in immune modulation
and anti-inflammatory effects, it could benefit from further explanation of the underlying
mechanisms, particularly for vitamin K. Since vitamin K's impact on IBD is less studied,
expanding on the potential mechanisms (e.g., microbiota modulation or matrix GLA protein
regulation) could strengthen the rationale for its inclusion in the study.
-While the AMPM method used to assess dietary intake is a robust tool, it’s worth
acknowledging its limitations, particularly in terms of recall bias. It may be worth including
a sentence or two discussing the potential for underreporting or misreporting of certain foods,
especially given that the study relies on 24-hour dietary recall.
-When discussing covariates, the impact of including specific factors such as income-to-poverty
ratio or BMI could be highlighted. These variables can be significant confounders in nutritional
epidemiology studies and could be mentioned explicitly in the context of their relevance to IBD.
-While the authors mention that vitamin K may reduce inflammation and regulate the gut
microbiota, the mechanisms through which this happens could be elaborated further. For
instance, specific vitamin K-dependent proteins involved in anti-inflammatory pathways (e.g.,
Gas6, osteocalcin) could be discussed in more detail. Providing more information on these
specific mechanisms would add depth to the explanation and support the hypothesis that vitamin
K may have a protective effect on IBD.
-The potential paradoxical relationship between vitamin C and IBD risk is intriguing but
could benefit from more exploration. The authors mention that vitamin C may exacerbate
inflammation by stimulating immune cell activity, but it would be useful to cite more evidence
or specific studies supporting this idea. Additionally, it may be worth discussing the possibility
that vitamin C’s effect could vary based on its dosage or the context of the existing immune
dysregulation in IBD.
Title: Association between vitamin C, D, and K intake and inflammatory bowel disease risk:
findings from 2009-2010 NHANES
Version: 0 Date: 31 Jan 2025
Reviewer:  Anwar Ashraf Abouelnasr
Reviewer's report:
Dear Authors, please address the following points below
-While the introduction discusses the potential roles of vitamins C, D, and K, it would be useful to
briefly highlight the gaps or controversies in the existing literature more explicitly. For example,
some studies suggest vitamin D may help with IBD, while others show mixed results. A clearer
explanation of why the role of vitamins C and K remains ambiguous would help underscore the
necessity of your study.
-Although the introduction mentions the potential roles of these vitamins in immune modulation
and anti-inflammatory effects, it could benefit from further explanation of the underlying
mechanisms, particularly for vitamin K. Since vitamin K's impact on IBD is less studied,
expanding on the potential mechanisms (e.g., microbiota modulation or matrix GLA protein
regulation) could strengthen the rationale for its inclusion in the study.
-While the AMPM method used to assess dietary intake is a robust tool, it’s worth
acknowledging its limitations, particularly in terms of recall bias. It may be worth including
a sentence or two discussing the potential for underreporting or misreporting of certain foods,
especially given that the study relies on 24-hour dietary recall.
-When discussing covariates, the impact of including specific factors such as income-to-poverty
ratio or BMI could be highlighted. These variables can be significant confounders in nutritional
epidemiology studies and could be mentioned explicitly in the context of their relevance to IBD.
-While the authors mention that vitamin K may reduce inflammation and regulate the gut
microbiota, the mechanisms through which this happens could be elaborated further. For
instance, specific vitamin K-dependent proteins involved in anti-inflammatory pathways (e.g.,
Gas6, osteocalcin) could be discussed in more detail. Providing more information on these
specific mechanisms would add depth to the explanation and support the hypothesis that vitamin
K may have a protective effect on IBD.
-The potential paradoxical relationship between vitamin C and IBD risk is intriguing but
could benefit from more exploration. The authors mention that vitamin C may exacerbate
inflammation by stimulating immune cell activity, but it would be useful to cite more evidence
or specific studies supporting this idea. Additionally, it may be worth discussing the possibility
that vitamin C’s effect could vary based on its dosage or the context of the existing immune
dysregulation in IBD.
Please review this paper.
user
Title: Association between vitamin C, D, and K intake and inflammatory bowel disease risk:
findings from 2009-2010 NHANES
Version: 0 Date: 31 Jan 2025
Reviewer:  Anwar Ashraf Abouelnasr
Reviewer's report:
Dear Authors, please address the following points below
-While the introduction discusses the potential roles of vitamins C, D, and K, it would be useful to
briefly highlight the gaps or controversies in the existing literature more explicitly. For example,
some studies suggest vitamin D may help with IBD, while others show mixed results. A clearer
explanation of why the role of vitamins C and K remains ambiguous would help underscore the
necessity of your study.
-Although the introduction mentions the potential roles of these vitamins in immune modulation
and anti-inflammatory effects, it could benefit from further explanation of the underlying
mechanisms, particularly for vitamin K. Since vitamin K's impact on IBD is less studied,
expanding on the potential mechanisms (e.g., microbiota modulation or matrix GLA protein
regulation) could strengthen the rationale for its inclusion in the study.
-While the AMPM method used to assess dietary intake is a robust tool, it’s worth
acknowledging its limitations, particularly in terms of recall bias. It may be worth including
a sentence or two discussing the potential for underreporting or misreporting of certain foods,
especially given that the study relies on 24-hour dietary recall.
-When discussing covariates, the impact of including specific factors such as income-to-poverty
ratio or BMI could be highlighted. These variables can be significant confounders in nutritional
epidemiology studies and could be mentioned explicitly in the context of their relevance to IBD.
-While the authors mention that vitamin K may reduce inflammation and regulate the gut
microbiota, the mechanisms through which this happens could be elaborated further. For
instance, specific vitamin K-dependent proteins involved in anti-inflammatory pathways (e.g.,
Gas6, osteocalcin) could be discussed in more detail. Providing more information on these
specific mechanisms would add depth to the explanation and support the hypothesis that vitamin
K may have a protective effect on IBD.
-The potential paradoxical relationship between vitamin C and IBD risk is intriguing but
could benefit from more exploration. The authors mention that vitamin C may exacerbate
inflammation by stimulating immune cell activity, but it would be useful to cite more evidence
or specific studies supporting this idea. Additionally, it may be worth discussing the possibility
that vitamin C’s effect could vary based on its dosage or the context of the existing immune
dysregulation in IBD.
assistant