Common Nutrient PLUNGES Hip Fracture Risk 49%
As a kid, you never spent a moment thinking about the risk of breaking a bone. As a younger adult, you might have taken a few more precautions, but you still didn’t worry too much about it.
But now that you’re getting a little older, fractures aren’t just on your mind. They’re a growing threat!
Because a broken bone—especially a hip—can lead to disability, loss of independence, and early death.
And maintaining strong, healthy bones is the BEST way to prevent fractures as you age.
Fortunately, recent research has just uncovered a way to do exactly that.
Scientists connected higher levels of one specific vitamin with a lower risk of fractures in the elderly. But it’s NOT the one you’re likely thinking of.
Researchers examined the data of 1,400 women gathered over 14 years in the Perth Longitudinal Study of Aging Women.
The lucky ladies who consumed more than 100 mcg (micrograms) of vitamin K1 daily were 31 percent less likely to break ANY bones than their peers who consumed less than 60 mcg per day.
But when researchers looked at hip fractures specifically (the deadliest kind of breaks), the results were even more dramatic.
Women who consumed the most vitamin K1 had an incredible 49 percent lower risk of a hip fracture.
Vitamin K1 is essential for bone proteins (like osteocalcin) to go through carboxylation, a process that makes them biologically active and functional. Once switched on, those proteins boost bone toughness.
And judging from the recent study, we need at least 100 mcg of K1 daily to kickstart this vital process.
But the K1 bone benefits don’t end there. Earlier research also shows this hardworking vitamin is linked to a reduction in bone breaking down (resorption).
The good news is getting 100 mcg of K1 in your diet every day is as easy as pie.
It’s the equivalent of just one to two servings of delicious veggies like spinach, kale, broccoli, and cabbage—healthy foods we should be eating anyway.
P.S. If you want to add additional protection for your bones as you age, new research suggests the solution could be found in a most unlikely place… THIS purple produce.
SOURCE:
“Dietary Vitamin K1 intake is associated with lower long-term fracture-related hospitalization risk: the Perth longitudinal study of ageing women.” Food & Function, 2022; 13 (20): 10642 DOI: 10.1039/D2FO02494B
