As you probably know, vitamin K is primarily found in healthy foods. It comes in two forms, vitamin K1, and vitamin K2. Vitamin K deficiency seems to be rare in healthy adults but you need to be aware of the symptoms such as bloody stools, bruising, excessive bleeding, and small blood clots under the nails. Here Darnel Fernandez, NaturalNews.com, reflects on low vitamin K levels associated with mobility and disability limitations in the elderly:

“Vitamin K is an essential vitamin that plays a vital role in bone and heart health. It is one of the main vitamins responsible for blood coagulation and bone mineralization and also helps maintain brain function, boost metabolism, and protect against certain cancers. While vitamin K deficiency is rare, a lower-than-average intake of this important vitamin could lead to negative health effects in the future. In fact, recent research suggests that not getting enough vitamin K could even leave a lasting effect on the mobility of the elderly.

A study published in the Journal of Gerontology: Medical Sciences found that low levels of vitamin K circulating the body is associated with an increased risk of disability and mobility limitation in older adults. This study is the first to evaluate the link between the onset of mobility limitation and disability in older adults and the biomarkers of vitamin K status.

“Because of our growing population of older people, it’s important for us to understand the variety of risk factors for mobility disability,” said Kyla Shea, first and corresponding author of the study. “Low vitamin K status has been associated with the onset of chronic diseases that lead to disability, but the work to understand this connection is in its infancy. Here, we’re building on previous studies that found that low levels of circulating vitamin K are associated with slower gait speed and a higher risk of osteoarthritis.”

The link between vitamin K and mobility

In this new study, researchers from the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University focused on examining two particular biomarkers of vitamin K status: the circulating levels of vitamin K (phylloquinone) and the functional measure of vitamin K (plasma ucMGP). The researchers used multivariate Cox proportional hazard models to evaluate the link between vitamin K status and mobility limitation and disability.

The researchers define mobility limitation as two consecutive semi-annual reports of having difficulty walking a quarter of a mile or climbing 10 steps of stairs without resting. Mobility disability, on the other hand, is defined as two consecutive instances of having significant difficulty or even inability to walk or climb the same amount.”

If you would like to learn other solutions to help control your health … click here?

Read More … Article Source: https://www.naturalnews.com/2020-01-12-low-vitamin-k-levels-disability-and-mobility-limitation-elderly.html