Vascular enlargement is less likely to occur in adolescents who regularly consumed foods packed with vitamin K, such as cabbage, spinach, and other green leafy vegetables.

Vascular enlargement is normally experienced by adults and commonly observed in patients with high blood pressure and other cardiac complications. This study examined the effect of high dietary ingestion of foods high in vitamin K (phylloquinone), such as spinach, cabbage, and other leafy green vegetables, on cardiac structure and function in adolescents. In addition to monitoring vascular structure and functionality, researchers also tracked the diets of 766 adolescents within the age bracket of 14-18 years.

The team of researchers found out that subjects with low intake of foods rich in vitamin K had higher risk of suffering from vascular enlargement than adolescents on diets dominated by foods packed with vitamin K. The findings of this study suggest that adequate intake of vitamin K from dietary sources, such as spinach, cabbage, and other green leafy vegetables, may be beneficial in the prevention of vascular enlargement in adolescents.