If you eat a lot of broccoli, your bones will become hard

Studies have shown that vitamin K lowers the risk of fractures. In particular, vitamin K1 contained in green leaf vegetables such as spinach and kale was found to be effective in reducing the risk of fracture.

A joint research team from the University of Ediskowan and the University of Western Australia analyzed the data of the “Perth Longitude Study of Aging Women” to find out the effects of vitamin K1. The research team monitored the daily vitamin K1 intake of 1,373 women aged 70 or older for about 14.5 years. At this time, other factors that could affect fractures, such as body mass index, calcium intake, vitamin D levels, and the presence or absence of underlying diseases, were excluded.

As a result, people who ate more than 100μg (micrograms) of vitamin K1 every day had a 31% lower incidence of fractures than those who ate less than 60μg every day. 100μg is the amount of 125g of green leaf vegetables (one to two plates of green leaf vegetables). In particular, those who ate a lot of vitamin K1 were 49 percent less likely to develop hip fractures than those who did not, the research team said.

The research team said vitamin K1 protects bones by preventing them from absorbing other substances. In addition, vitamin K1 plays an important role in the synthesis of “osteocalcin” proteins that strengthen bones, the research team added.

Vitamin K1 is rich in green leaf vegetables (cale, spinach, broccoli, cabbage, etc.), peas, prunes, kiwis, and avocados. Professor Mark Sim, the study author, said, “Just eating one or two plates of green leaf vegetables a day helps bone health.”