Knee Osteoarthritis and Vitamin K

Researchers led by Misra (2013) and colleagues studying knee osteoarthritis, one of the most common causes of disability for older individuals in the United States, looked at the role vitamin K might play in early changes linked to osteoarthritis.

Looking at 1180 people with an average age of 62 years, researchers found deficient levels of vitamin K were associated with incident radiographic knee osteoarthritis and cartilage lesions.  This vitamin K deficiency was not, however, associated with osteophytes.

Researchers concluded that individuals who were sub-clinically vitamin K deficient were more likely to develop knee osteoarthritis in one or two knees. Further examination of the connection between vitamin K and knee osteoarthritis is recommended.

Foods known to be high in vitamin K include leafy dark green vegetables, certain herbs like oregano and parsley, brussel sprouts, broccoli, cabbage and asparagus.