There are many diseases we could develop within our lives because of our genetics, lifestyle, accidents, age, etc., and dementia happens to be one. Dementia is the general term for the condition where one cannot remember, think, or make decisions to the extent that it affects their daily lives. It occurs when the nerve cells cannot connect with the brain due to an accident or age.

As there is no cure for this condition, researchers focus their efforts on finding ways to limit and possibly prevent its development. One such study conducted is on the likelihood of vitamin K improving cognitive abilities and, by doing so, lowering the risk of dementia.

Overview of Dementia

As mentioned earlier, dementia is a general term for the condition where someone loses cognitive functions that affect their daily life and routine. Having memory loss does not mean one has developed dementia—dementia is often accompanied by a loss of language and communication skills, as well as difficulty completing tasks. One could develop many types of dementia, the most frequent being Alzheimer’s disease and vascular dementia. Other types of dementia include frontotemporal, Lewy body, and mixed dementia, which is a combination of two or more types.

What Is Vitamin K?

This is one of the fat-soluble vitamins naturally found in fruits and green leafy vegetables, and it’s known to improve and develop the brain and bones in the body. It is necessary to maintain a normal vitamin K amount in the body to prevent a deficiency leading to osteoporosis, poor brain development, and an increased risk of cardiovascular diseases.

Details of the Study

The study ran for 17 months with older rats as the research subject. A form of vitamin K2 known as menaquinone-7 was administered to some of the rodents in the population throughout the study.  Both groups of rodents were tested to assess their anxiety and cognitive levels, as well as check if they exhibited depressive traits.

Observations From the Study

At the end of the study, the following observations were made on the group of rodents who were administered menaquinone-7:

• The group had less anxiety, depressive traits, and cognitive limitations than their counterparts
• The rodents exhibited a higher learning rate and spatial memory than their counterparts

Conclusions from the Study

The form of vitamin K2 used in this study has shown positivity toward inhibiting age-related changes in the brain. However, it is limited as only one form of vitamin K2 was used and the study had not progressed to using human subjects yet. So, while the results are somewhat optimistic, further research is still needed to establish this possibility as a reality.