Osteoarthritis is a degenerative disease of the joints characterized by stiffness, pain, and decreased mobility. As individuals age, they are more likely to develop OA in multiple joints, especially the hands and knees.
The journal Arthritis and Rheumatology published the results of a trial in the spring of 2006 that made an association between Vitamin K status and the incidence of OA. Researchers at Boston University examined 650 individuals with OA. X-ray assessment of the spine, hands, and knees were compared to levels of Vitamin K in the blood.
Their initial assessment found that those with low or deficient amounts of Vitamin K had osteophytes or bone spurs present on multiple joint surfaces. As the levels of Vitamin K decreased, so did the incidence of OA increase.
The evidence was not strong enough to form a cause/effect relationship between Vitamin K status and OA incidence. Previous studies have proposed that Vitamin K dependant bone and cartilage proteins may exist, and these proteins may effect the occurrence of osteoarthritis and/or bone spurs.
Vitamin K is found in most green leafy vegetables, cheese, liver, coffee and green tea. A significant source of Vitamin K for humans comes from bacteria that live symbiotically in the large and small intestines. Even with production in our intestines, many adults are deficient in Vitamin K.
To protect against the development of OA, children and adults should eat 5 servings of vegetables and fruit each day. Vitamin K is also a necessary nutrient for clotting factors used to help control bleeding.
Posted by Kristopher Foster on April 30, 2006 04:29 PM
