BEING low on a key vitamin could be the cause of your memory blips – as it could leave your brain vulnerable to cognitive decline.
Vitamin K – a nutrient we mainly get from green veggies – is known for keeping bones healthy.
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It also plays an essential role in blood clotting and may protect cardiovascular health.
But scientists from Tufts University say skimping on it could impact your brain health.
“Low dietary vitamin K intake, which is common among older adults, is associated with age-related cognitive impairment,” they wrote in a study published to the Journal of Nutrition.
Tong Zheng, lead author and a research scientist at the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Centre on Ageing, added: “There is research that indicates vitamin K contributes to brain function and that brain function declines during the ageing process.
“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.”
Conducted on mice, their study suggests vitamin K helps maintain cells in the hippocampus, the memory centre of the brain.
Lack of the nutrient may increase inflammation and hamper growth of neural cells in the hippocampus, researchers said.
To reach their conclusions, scientists fed 60 middle-aged mice either a diet low in vitamin K, or a normal diet, for six months.
The rodents then underwent cognitive tests to assess their learning and memory.
Mice low in vitamin K had a harder time recognising objects they’d seen before, a marker of impaired memory.
They also took longer to find their way through a water maze, where their task was to find a hidden platform.
Researchers also analysed the rodents’ brain tissue.
They found significantly lower levels of menaquinone-4, a form of vitamin K prevalent in brain tissue, in the brains of the vitamin K-deficient mice.
Scientists also found significant changes in the mice’s hippocampus, a brain region crucial for learning and memory.
The hippocampus can generate new cells in a process called neurogenesis, which keeps the brain healthy and protects it from damage.
But the mice who were deficient in vitamin K showed fewer signs of neurogenesis in their brain tissue and made fewer new neurons.
Dr Zheng said: “Neurogenesis is thought to play a critical role in learning and memory, and its impairment could directly contribute to the cognitive decline observed in the study.”
Is it ageing or dementia?
Dementia – the most common form of which is Alzheimer’s – comes on slowly over time.
As the disease progresses, symptoms can become more severe.
But at the beginning, the symptoms can be subtle or mistaken for normal memory issues related to ageing.
The US National Institute on Aging gives some examples of what is considered normal forgetfulness in old age, and dementia disease.
You can refer to these above.
For example, it is normal for an ageing person to forget which word to use from time-to-time, but difficulting having conversation would be more indicative of dementia.
Katie Puckering, Head of Alzheimer’s Research UK’s Information Services team, previously told The Sun: “We quite commonly as humans put our car keys somewhere out of the ordinary and it takes longer for us to find them.
“As you get older, it takes longer for you to recall, or you really have to think; What was I doing? Where was I? What distracted me? Was it that I had to let the dog out? And then you find the keys by the back door.
“That process of retrieving the information is just a bit slower in people as they age.
“In dementia, someone may not be able to recall that information and what they did when they came into the house.
“What may also happen is they might put it somewhere it really doesn’t belong. For example, rather than putting the milk back in the fridge, they put the kettle in the fridge.”
Finally, nutrient-deficient mice showed more signs of inflammation in their brains.
Inflammation has been linked to age-related cognitive decline and neurodegenerative diseases, researchers said.
They noted that people shouldn’t rush to stock up on vitamin K supplements after reading about the study.
Instead, it’s important to eat more vitamin K-rich foods.
Dr Sarah Booth, director of the HNRCA and senior author of the study, said: “People need to eat a healthy diet. They need to eat their vegetables.”
“We know that a healthy diet works, and that people who don’t eat a healthy diet don’t live as long or do as well cognitively,” she added.
Foods rich in vitamin K
Vitamin K is found in green leafy vegetables such as:
- Brussels sprouts
- Broccoli
- Peas
- Kale
- Spinach
- Swiss chard
- Beet greens
- Parsley
- Rocket
- Cabbage
- Cress
It may also be found in:
- Cereal grains
- Soybeans and soybean oil
- Edamame
- Blueberries
- Blackberries
- Kiwis
- Prunes
- Grapes
- Avocados
Small amounts can also be found in meat and dairy foods.
According to the NHS, adults need approximately 1 microgram a day of vitamin K for each kilogram of their body weight.
For example, someone who weighs 65kg would need 65 micrograms a day of vitamin K, while a person who weighs 75kg would need 75 micrograms a day.
You should be able to get all the vitamin K you need by eating a varied and balanced diet.