It’s no secret that certain nutrients are good for your brain. Nutrients like vitamin B-12, vitamin D, and omega-3 fatty acids are often touted for staving off Alzheimer’s and other memory-robbing diseases.
Now we know there’s another vitamin to add to that list of nutritional memory-saving superstars. Because an international group of researchers has just found a certain miracle nutrient could help you reverse Alzheimer’s and other degenerative diseases.
Vitamin K has been getting a lot of attention the last few years. You’ve probably heard that vitamin K is essential for blood clotting. And you might’ve heard how it can also improve your heart health.
And now you’re about to learn how vitamin K could be the next big thing in Alzheimer’s treatment and prevention.
Helps Halt a Root Cause of Alzheimer’s Disease
A team of researchers from Helmholtz Munich, Tohoku University, University of Ottawa, and Technical University of Dresden discovered the fully reduced form of vitamin K acts as an antioxidant that halts ferroptotic cell death – a natural form of cell death that involves iron and the destruction of cellular membranes.
This is important because previous research shows that ferroptosis is a key driver of Alzheimer’s disease and other chronic memory-wasting diseases. This means finding a way to stop this process can also slam the breaks on Alzheimer’s progression and memory loss!
For the new research, a team of scientists led by Dr. Eikan Mishima and Dr. Marcus Conrad, both from the Institute of Metabolism and Cell Death at Helmholtz Munich, along with collaborators from Tohoku University (Japan), University of Ottawa (Canada) and Technical University of Dresden (Germany), analyzed the ferroptosis-fighting qualities of several vitamins.
At the end, they found that vitamin K – including phylloquinone (vitamin K1) and menaquinone-4 (vitamin K2) – can help SHIELD cells and tissues from ferroptosis.1
Vitamin K Offers Hope For Future Alzheimer’s Treatments
Researchers working with Dr. Marcus Conrad already identified an enzyme – called ferroptosis suppressor protein-1 or FSP1 – as a strong disruptor of the cell death process in 2019.
Now, they have discovered that vitamin K hydroquinone – a fully reduced form of vitamin K – can also shut down ferroptosis by neutralizing oxygen radicals.
“Our results therefore link the two worlds of ferroptosis research and vitamin K biology, “says Dr. Conrad. “They will serve as the stepping stone for the development of novel therapeutic strategies for diseases where ferroptosis has been implicated.”
The researchers also believe that vitamin K could be an ancient type of naturally occurring antioxidant since ferroptosis is likely one of the first types of cell death. Dr. Conrad said, “Thus, new aspects of the role of vitamin K throughout the evolution of life are expected to be unveiled.”2
Get More K Today!
As the study pointed out, vitamin K1 and vitamin K2 can help you beat back the type of cell death that drives Alzheimer’s. One way to get more of these vitamins is through diet. Here’s a list of vitamin K-1 rich foods:
- Spinach
- Broccoli
- Kale
- Asparagus
- Green onions
And here’s a list of vitamin K2 rich foods:
- Cheese
- Beef Liver
- Chicken
- Butter
- Sauerkraut
The above foods are a good way to get more vitamin K, but probably won’t give you all you need. A better way to get a consistent dose of vitamin K is through supplementation.
