Spinach, broccoli and other vegetables in the green leaf Vitamin K is lacking in the elderly people are said to reduce the motor function.
A research team led by Sarah Booth, a professor of human nutrition and aging research at the University of Tufts in New York, found that 635 men aged 70 to 79 years and 688 women aged 68 years or older were up for more than 10 years. The researchers measured their blood vitamin K levels every six months and assessed their physical fitness. As a result, the elderly with lower blood vitamin K levels showed a 1.5 times greater risk of mobility limitation and a nearly twice greater risk of mobility disability than the normal elderly. Limitations of mobility were set by the researchers when walking without resting 400 m or walking up 10 steps was "somewhat difficult" and when the mobility disorder was "very difficult" or "impossible".
Vitamin K deficiency is associated with a slowing of gait and an increased risk of degenerative arthritis, researchers said. Vitamin K is found in green leafy vegetables such as spinach, kale and broccoli, and in some dairy products.