Eating more meat could help prevent agonizing nighttime leg cramps, a study claims.
About half of adults will experience these types of cramps, often called cramps, in their lifetime.
For a fifth of this group, painful cramps, which occur when leg tendons suddenly tense, causing the leg to spasm, can cause enough distress and insomnia to seek medical help.
While there are several effective treatments available on the NHS, they have a long list of unpleasant side effects.
Now scientists believe the key lies in a vitamin found in animal products such as chicken, beef liver, eggs and cheese, as well as fermented foods such as sauerkraut and kefir.
Eating more could help prevent night cramps, which about half of adults experience, scientists believe (file photo)
Vitamin K2 is thought to help with cramps by reducing calcium levels in the muscle, allowing it to relax. Previous studies by the same researchers found that the vitamin reduced cramps in dialysis patients.
Conducted in China, the new trial tracked leg cramps in 199 participants aged 65 and older over an eight-week period; Half were given a vitamin K2 supplement pill and the other half a placebo.
At the end of the study, those who had received K2 saw the number of weekly leg cramps halved, while there was no reduction among those who received the placebo.
According to the study, published last month in the medical journal JAMA, those taking K2 also saw the pain of their cramps decrease, as did their duration, from an average of 54 seconds to 20 seconds.
One in five people seek medical help due to distress and insomnia caused by painful cramps (file photo)
Lead researcher Dr Jing Tan, a hematologist at Chengdu Third People’s Hospital, said: “To our knowledge, this is the first study that explored the use of vitamin K2 specifically for the treatment of nocturnal leg cramps.” .
Vitamin K2 has previously been shown to improve bone health and reduce the risk of osteoporosis.
Because of their ability to regulate calcium levels (the main mineral found in bones and teeth), scientists believe that supplements may also help postmenopausal women by increasing their bone strength.
It has even been linked to a reduction in heart disease, and studies suggest it may help prevent calcium buildup around the heart’s arteries.