Leafy greens reduce heart disease deaths by 43% in study

According to a study of 1,436 Australian women, women who consumed the most vitamin K1-rich vegetables were nearly half at risk of dying from heart disease compared to the least eating vegetables compared to the least eating vegetables.

The study found that consuming about one cup of leafy green vegetables per day (usually equals 120 micrograms of vitamin K1) can protect the strongest protection against death from atherosclerotic vascular disease.

The findings, published in the European Journal of Nutrition, provide compelling evidence that this often overlooked vitamin plays a crucial role in preventing arterial damage that causes heart attacks and neutrality. Atherosclerotic vascular disease in Australia claims to be a lifetime every 12 minutes, representing two of the three major causes of death in the world.

Vascular protection of vitamin K1

Researchers from Edith Cowan University and the University of Western Australia found that vitamin K1 appears to inhibit vascular calcification, a process of calcium deposits accumulated in the arteries that make it stiff and susceptible to blockage. Think of it as preventing your blood vessels from becoming hard tubes.

“Vegetables such as spinach, kale and broccoli, such as spinach, kale and broccoli, contain vitamin K1, which may help prevent the vascular calcification process that characterizes cardiovascular disease,” explained Dupuy, the lead researcher of the study and PhD student at ECU.

The study used ultrasound imaging to measure the thickness of the arterial walls in the participants’ neck, a reliable indicator of atherosclerosis throughout the human body. Women who consumed the highest vitamin K1 showed 5.6% of arterial walls compared to the least diet, indicating a significant reduction in arterial damage.

Significant protection level:

• Overall atherosclerotic vascular disease has a 43% reduction in death risk
• Deaths in ischemic heart disease decreased by 46%
• Blood clots have reduced fatal stroke by 45%
• 29% reduction in cardiovascular events requiring hospitalization

Protection is the most compelling thing for the most deadly cardiovascular events. During the 14.5-year follow-up period, 301 women died of atherosclerosis, but the women with the highest vitamin K1 intake significantly reduced fatal heart attacks and strokes.

Importantly, the study found that participants with the currently recommended vitamin K1 consumption in the Australian dietary guidelines received the strongest cardiovascular benefits. This is about 120 micrograms per day and can be obtained by eating dark leafy greens regularly.

Simple dietary solutions

“The good news is that these vegetables are easily incorporated into your daily meals,” said Dr. Marc Sim, a senior researcher. “A half cup of vegetables like this is an easy way to increase our daily vitamin K intake and possibly reduce our risk of cardiovascular disease.”

The team used limited cubic spline analysis, a complex statistical method that revealed that the protective effect of vitamin K1 gradually increased with higher intake rather than showing a simple threshold effect. This suggests that even a modest increase in green leaf consumption can provide cardiovascular benefits.

This study is particularly powerful because it uses a specific vitamin K1 food database, which is based on changes in nutrient content in local growth conditions. The researchers also adopted two independent isotope dating methods, both of which confirmed protective associations, thereby enhancing confidence in the outcome.

These findings now inform the development of vitamin K1-rich specialty foods in the future food and digital food labs in ECU, which has the potential to benefit communities from communities with special nutritional needs, such as elderly care residents, who may have difficulty consuming adequate fresh vegetables.

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