As we age, the risk of fractures increases, especially in women who, after menopause, lose the protective effect of estrogens. Regular physical exercise and a balanced diet rich in calcium and vitamin D can help prevent osteoporosis, a disease that occurs due to decreased bone density and is one of the main causes of fractures. A new study has now found that vitamin K1 might also help reduce the risk of fractures in older women.
The research that has reached this conclusion has been carried out by the Institute for Research in Nutrition and Health Innovation at Edith Cowan University in collaboration with the University of Western Australia (both in Australia) in which the relationship between income hospital admissions for fractures and vitamin K1 intake in 1,373 women aged 70 years and over enrolled in the Perth Longitudinal Study of Aging Women, who were followed for a period of 14.5 years.
The results have been published in Food & Function and have shown that women who ate more than 100 micrograms of vitamin K1 – the equivalent of around 125 g of dark leafy vegetables, or one or two servings of vegetables – had a 31% less likely to suffer a fracture compared to those who took less than 60 micrograms daily, which is the current recommended intake of this vitamin for the female population.
Vitamin K1 prevents hip fracture
The effects of a higher intake of vitamin K1 were more positive in the case of hip fracture, since the risk of hospitalization for this cause was almost half (49%) in women who consumed more of this vitamin. “Our results are independent of many established factors for fracture rates, such as body mass index, calcium intake, vitamin D status, and prevalent diseases,” said Marc Sim, who led the study.
The ideal is to eat 100 micrograms of vitamin K1 per day, which can be achieved by consuming between 75 and 150 g – one or two servings – of vegetables such as spinach, kale or broccoli
Studies carried out on vitamin K1 have made it possible to identify that it plays a key role in the carboxylation of vitamin K1-dependent bone proteins such as osteocalcin, to which an improvement in bone hardness is attributed, and in a previous work observed that a consumption of this vitamin of less than 100 micrograms per day may be insufficient for this carboxylation to occur. Vitamin K1 may also support bone health by inhibiting various bone resorption agents.
As Dr. Sim explains, the ideal would be to consume more than 100 micrograms of vitamin K1 per day, something that is not difficult if certain foods are included in the daily diet: “The intake of this amount of vitamin K1 daily can be easily achieved by consuming between 75 and 150 g – which is equivalent to one or two servings – of vegetables such as spinach, kale, broccoli and cabbage”, he concluded.
.
