Apr 12, 2025 07:12 AM
But seniors taking blood-thinning drugs such as warfarin (Coumadin®) cannot excessively eat food rich in vitamin K, or take supplements of it. They would have to switch to anticoagulant medications that do not depend on reducing vitamin K clotting factors. But those in turn might have their own different potential side effects and interact with other substances, which patients should likewise become informed about.
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New research deepens understanding of how vitamin K affects brain health
https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1079973
INTRO: As scientists seek to unravel the intricate potential connections between nutrition and the aging brain, a new study from researchers at the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging (HNRCA) at Tufts University is shedding light on how insufficient consumption of vitamin K may adversely affect cognition as people get older.
The study, conducted in middle-aged rodents, suggests that a lack of vitamin K may increase inflammation and hamper proliferation of neural cells in the hippocampus, a portion of the brain that is capable of generating new cells and is central to functions such as learning and memory.
Vitamin K is found in green leafy vegetables such as Brussels sprouts, broccoli, green peas, kale, and spinach. It is already known to play an essential role in blood clotting, and research suggests it may also have positive effects on cardiovascular health as well as joint health, says Sarah Booth, director of the HNRCA and senior author of the study. Booth is also a professor at the Gerald J. and Dorothy R. Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University.
“There is also research that indicates vitamin K contributes to brain function and that brain function declines during the aging process,” says Tong Zheng, lead author of the study and a research scientist at the HNRCA. “Vitamin K seems to have a protective effect. Our research is trying to understand the underlying mechanism for that effect, so that we might one day be able to target those mechanisms specifically.” (MORE - details)
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New research deepens understanding of how vitamin K affects brain health
https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1079973
INTRO: As scientists seek to unravel the intricate potential connections between nutrition and the aging brain, a new study from researchers at the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging (HNRCA) at Tufts University is shedding light on how insufficient consumption of vitamin K may adversely affect cognition as people get older.
The study, conducted in middle-aged rodents, suggests that a lack of vitamin K may increase inflammation and hamper proliferation of neural cells in the hippocampus, a portion of the brain that is capable of generating new cells and is central to functions such as learning and memory.
Vitamin K is found in green leafy vegetables such as Brussels sprouts, broccoli, green peas, kale, and spinach. It is already known to play an essential role in blood clotting, and research suggests it may also have positive effects on cardiovascular health as well as joint health, says Sarah Booth, director of the HNRCA and senior author of the study. Booth is also a professor at the Gerald J. and Dorothy R. Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University.
“There is also research that indicates vitamin K contributes to brain function and that brain function declines during the aging process,” says Tong Zheng, lead author of the study and a research scientist at the HNRCA. “Vitamin K seems to have a protective effect. Our research is trying to understand the underlying mechanism for that effect, so that we might one day be able to target those mechanisms specifically.” (MORE - details)