Cabbage and spinach can reduce the risk of dementia

People over the age of 65 are at the highest risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. Sick people have difficulty remembering the names of close relatives, change their mood quickly, are unable to perform some common tasks.

Cabbage and spinach are rich sources of vitamin K, which is claimed to reduce the risk of developing dementia. Dementia or senility is a chronic, and usually irreversible, loss of cognitive ability. It covers a wide range of diseases that cause long-term inability to remember, learn, communicate and function, and the most common disease is Alzheimer’s disease.

Vitamin K reduces the risk of cognitive impairment

The risk of developing dementia increases with age. There is no cure for dementia at this time, but there are medications that can relieve the symptoms. Experts seek to investigate treatments that can reduce the severity of symptoms or prevent rapid disease progression.

A study from AlMaaref University in Saudi Arabia states that vitamin K can reduce the risk of “cognitive deterioration”. A new study, presented at a meeting of experimental biology, examined the effect of vitamin K on rats.

Cabbage and sleeper are not the only sources of vitamin K, this vitamin is also found in vegetable oils, cauliflower, nettles, apricots, peas, soybeans, tomatoes, potatoes, carrots. Animal sources of vitamin K are fish oil, milk, cheese, egg yolks, liver, cow’s milk.

Patients have difficulty remembering the names of their immediate family members
According to the American Association for Alzheimer’s Disease, dementia is a general term for memory loss, language skills, problem solving and other thinking skills that interfere with daily activities.

Alzheimer’s disease is thought to be caused by an accumulation of amyloid plaque proteins, which can damage brain cells. There is also vascular dementia which is a consequence of reduced blood flow in the brain tissue, this condition can damage brain cells.

According to the latest data from the Alzheimer’s Association, people over the age of 65 are at the highest risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. Sick people have difficulty remembering the names of close relatives, change their mood quickly, are unable to perform some common tasks, and have problems when it comes to communication.

Cabbage and spinach for bones and brain

In order to be healthy and vital for as long as possible, it is important to take sufficient amounts of various vitamins and minerals into the body, doctors emphasize. Vitamin K is especially good for maintaining bone health, but also brain function.

There is a lot of this vitamin in leafy, green vegetables. Professor Mohamed El-Sherbiny, one of the main authors of the study, explains that vitamin K is soluble in fats and that its action can protect the brain from the development of Alzheimer’s disease.

• There are recommended daily amounts of vitamin K in relation to age. Optimal levels of vitamin K are provided by the intake of certain amounts of this vitamin, and in case of vitamin K deficiency, there are also supplements – says prof. El-Sherbiny.

Vitamin K and dementia

Since vitamin K is thought to affect brain function, researchers studied the effects of this vitamin on mice for 17 months. One group of mice received vitamin K supplements, and the other did not. The researchers gave mice menaquinone-7 (MK-7), which the authors say is “the main form of vitamin K2.”

During the study, the rats underwent a series of tests that examined cognitive functioning. Anxiety and behavior that are most similar to depression were investigated.

Lower levels of cognitive impairment, depression, and anxiety have been reported in rats given vitamin K supplements. According to the study’s authors, these rats had “improved spatial memory and better learning ability.”

Vitamin K2 has shown a very good effect when it comes to changes in behavior, functional, biochemical and histopathological changes in the brain, says prof. El-Sherbiny. The study shows how important it is to monitor vitamin K levels in people at risk of developing dementia, the authors believe.

Vitamin K and brain health

Dr. Jennifer Brahmen, a senior researcher and neurologist, expressed cautious optimism when it comes to the effect of vitamin K on cognitive abilities.

More research is needed on the human population, experts say:

There are several forms of vitamin K and they all have different sources in the diet. MK-7 is found in fermented vegetables and the benefits of consuming this food are known, as well as the importance of microbiome in the digestive tract for good cognitive functioning.