New research published in the journal Diabetes Care has found that individuals who eat a diet high in vitamin K have a decreased risk of developing diabetes.

Reuters reports that researchers in the Netherlands studied more than 38,000 adults for 10 years. The participants, who were between the ages of 20 and 70 at the start of the study, completed a detailed diet survey, from which each person’s average vitamin K intake was estimated. They also answered questions on their overall health and lifestyle habits.

They found that those who got the most vitamin K in their diets were about 20 percent less likely to be diagnosed with type 2 diabetes during the study period.

There are two types of vitamin K – vitamin K1, which is found in green, leafy vegetables and in some vegetable oils, and vitamin K2, which is found in meat, cheese and eggs.

Researchers say vitamin K2 was shown to have the most protective effect against the disease.

Although they do not know specifically why vitamin K lowered the risk of the disease, they suspect that it reduces systemic inflammation, which may improve the body’s use of the blood-sugar-regulating hormone insulin.

The recommended daily intake for vitamin K is 120 micrograms for men and 90 micrograms for women. It is available in nutritional supplement form.