Vitamin K – a nutrient we mainly get from green vegetables – might be crucial for protecting our brains against cognitive decline.
According to a new study from Tufts University, US, the vitamin may be particularly useful for maintaining cells in the hippocampus, the memory centre of the brain.
In a new experiment, scientists fed 60 middle-aged mice either a diet low in vitamin K, or a normal diet, for six months. Then, they performed behavioural tests designed to assess the mice’s learning and memory.
Scientists discovered that mice lacking vitamin K struggled with memory and learning. Compared to those on a normal diet, the vitamin K-deficient mice had trouble recognizing objects they’d seen before – an indication of impaired memory.
They also took significantly longer to find their way through a water maze, pointing to difficulties with spatial learning.
Finally, the scientists analysed the mice’s brain tissue, particularly looking at the hippocampus: the brain region known 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 signs of less neurogenesis in their brain tissue, as they had generated fewer new neurons.
“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,” said Tong Zheng, lead author of the study and a research scientist at Tufts’s Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging (HNRCA), in a statement.
The scientists also found signs of more inflammation in the brains of the vitamin K-deficient mice – another key reason for cognitive decline.
But the researchers warned against people just going out and buying vitamin K supplements.
“People need to eat a healthy diet,” said Professor Sarah Booth, senior author of the study and director of HNRCA, in a statement. “They need to eat their vegetables.”
Most of us get enough vitamin K in our diets, but low vitamin K intake is common among older adults. Great sources include spinach, kale, peas, brussels sprouts, broccoli, cabbage, parsley, avocado and kiwi.
This study was recently published in the Journal of Nutrition.
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