Eating your green leafy vegetables leads to healthy lungs and helps ward off asthma, a study suggests.
People with low levels of vitamin K in their blood are more likely to have poor lung function and say they suffer from asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and wheezing, according to new research.
Vitamin K is found in leafy green vegetables such as spinach, kale and broccoli, vegetable oils and grains.
It plays a role in blood clotting, helping the body to heal wounds, but researchers know very little about its role in lung health.
Vitamin K is found in green leafy vegetables such as spinach, kale and broccoli, vegetable oils and grains and according to scientists it has been associated with healthy lungs
A team from the University of Copenhagen analyzed 4,000 people who took lung function tests, gave blood samples and answered questionnaires about their health and lifestyle.
They found that people with low markers of vitamin K performed worse on lung function tests and were twice as likely to say they had COPD, 44 percent more likely to say they had asthma, and 81 percent more likely to report wheezing .
Dr. Torkil Jespersen, one of the study’s authors, said: ‘We already know that vitamin K plays an important role in the blood and research is beginning to show that it is also important for heart and bone health, but there is very little research done. vitamin K and the lungs.
“To our knowledge, this is the first study of vitamin K and lung function in a large general population.
“Our results suggest that vitamin K could play a role in keeping our lungs healthy.”
The team said their new findings do not change current advice on vitamin K intake, but they support further research to see if some people could benefit from taking vitamin K supplements.
The NHS website states that adults need about 1 microgram of vitamin K per day per kilogram of body weight.
For example, someone who weighs 65 kg needs 65 micrograms of vitamin K per day. Experts say that people should get all the vitamin K they need by eating a varied and balanced diet.
Dr. Samantha Walker, Director of Research and Innovation at Asthma and Lung UK, said: ‘This interesting research looks at the link between vitamin K and having a lung condition, such as asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
“We would like to see further research in this area so we can better understand whether vitamin K levels are directly related to lung function, which could help us better understand the impact of diet on people with lung disease.”
‘Research like this is important because lung diseases are the third leading cause of death in the UK, yet only 2 per cent of government funding is spent on research into lung diseases, enabling them to be diagnosed, treated and treated much more effectively.’
The findings were published in the journal ERJ Open Research.