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.1Vitamin 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."2Get 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
- Cheese
- Beef Liver
- Chicken
- Butter
- Sauerkraut
