Study uncovers shocking strategy to stop agonising nighttime leg cramps

Eating more meat could help prevent agonising nighttime leg cramps, a study claims.

Roughly half of all adults will experience such cramps, often referred to as a charley horse, in their lifetime.

For a fifth of this group, the painful cramps – which occur when tendons in the leg suddenly tighten, leading the leg to spasm – can cause enough distress and insomnia for them to seek medical help. 

While there are a number of effective treatments available on the NHS, these have a long list of unpleasant side-effects.

Now scientists think 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 nightime cramps, which are experienced by roughly half of all adults, scientists believe (file photo)

Vitamin K2 is believed to help cramps by lowering calcium levels in the muscle, allowing it to relax. Previous studies from the same researchers found that the vitamin reduced cramp in patients on dialysis.

Conducted in China, the new trial tracked the leg cramps of 199 participants aged 65 and above over an eight-week period – with half being given a vitamin K2 supplement pill and the other half a placebo. 

By the end of the study, those who had received K2 saw their number of weekly leg cramps halve – while there was no reduction among those given the placebo.

According to the study, published last month in the medical journal JAMA, those taking K2 also saw the painfulness of their cramps decrease, as did their duration – from an average of 54 seconds to 20 seconds.

One in five people seek medical help as a result of distress and insomnia from painful cramps (file photo)

Lead researcher Dr Jing Tan, a haematologist at The Third People’s Hospital of Chengdu, said: ‘To our knowledge, this is the first study that explored the use of vitamin K2 specifically for treating nocturnal leg cramps.’

Vitamin K2 has previously been shown to improve bone health and lower the risk of osteoporosis.

Due to its ability to regulate levels of calcium – the main mineral found in bones and teeth – scientists believe supplements can also help post-menopausal women by increasing their bone strength.

It has even been linked with a reduction in heart disease, with studies suggesting it may help prevent calcium from building up around the heart’s arteries.