What is Vitamin K?
Vitamin K is a group of compounds and a fat-soluble vitamin which plays a vital role to help clotting blood, prevent excessive bleeding and build bones. It is usually found throughout the body including bones, liver, heart, brain, and pancreas. It is broken down very quickly and excreted in stool and urine.
The most important forms of Vitamin K:
- Phylloquinone (K1), obtained from green leafy vegetables like collard greens and spinach
- Menaquinone (K2) obtained from meats, cheese, and eggs and fermented foods. It can also be produced by bacteria in the human body.
Why do people take vitamin K?.
There are many health benefits of Vitamin K and it has been found in survey that low levels of vitamin K can raise the risk of uncontrolled bleeding. Its deficiencies are rare in adults but quite common in newborn infants.
Benefits of Vitamin K:
- Bone health – Vitamin K supports the maintenance of strong bones, decreases the risk of fractures and improves bone density.
- Cognitive health –Increased blood levels of vitamin K have the highest verbal episodic memory performance.
- Heart health – Vitamin K helps keeping blood pressure lower by preventing mineralization in which minerals build up in the arteriesto pump blood freely through the body.Sufficient intake of vitamin K has been shown to lower the risk of stroke.
Conditions when you may be at higher risk due to lack of Vitamin K:
- Have a disease related to digestive tract absorption like Crohn’s disease or active celiac disease.
- Take drugs that interfere with vitamin K absorption
- Severely malnourished
- Drink alcohol heavily
To compete the above cases, your doctor will suggest you Vitamin K supplements.
Signs of Vitamin K Deficiency:
Since it is rare in adults but may occur in people taking antibiotics, or in those who have malabsorption of food and nutrients. Vitamin K deficiency is common in newborn infants because vitamin K does not cross the placenta and breast milk contains a low amount.
Given are the most common signs of deficiency of Vitamin K:
- When it takes longer time for blood to clot
- Bleeding
- Hemorrhaging
- Osteopenia or osteoporosis
How much Vitamin K is needed?.
- Adult men – 19 years and older – 120 mcg
- Adult Women -19 years and older -90 mcg
- Pregnant women – 19 years and older – 90 mcg
- Lactating women – 19 years and older – 90 mcg
Sources of Vitamin K:
One of the best ways to get the daily requirement of vitamin K is to consume a large amount of green leafy food items. Vitamin K is found in the following foods:
- Green leafy vegetables like spinach, kale, turnip greens, Swiss chard, collards, mustard greens, parsley, romaine and green leaf lettuce – These are low in cholesterol and rich in dietary fibre, vitamins A, C, K and iron. The vegetables are very essential for bone health and proper functioning of red blood cells in the body.
- Vegetables likebroccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflowerand cabbage.
- Fish, meat, liver, eggs, and cereals (contain smaller amount of Vitamin K)
- Kale (cooked)
- Mustard Greens (cooked)
- Swiss Chard (raw)
- Collard Greens (cooked)
- Spinach (raw)
- Beef Liver
- Pork Chops
- Chicken
- Goose Liver Paste
- Green Beans (cooked)
- Prunes
- Kiwi
- Soybean Oil
- Hard Cheese
- Avocado
- Green Peas (cooked)
It is always advised to consider eating green leafy plants with some fat or oil because vitamin K is fat-soluble and better absorbed when combined with fat.
How to add vitamin K to your diet?.
People get enough vitamin K1 in their diets by eating a balanced diet rich in whole fruits and vegetables. One of the simplest ways to include additional vitamin K1 into the diet is to eat dark and leafy green vegetables.Vitamin K2 is more challenging to include into a healthful diet as it is commonly found in meat and animal products. Common sources of vitamin K2 include meat, liver, and dairy products.
Side Effects of Vitamin K:
Vitamin K deficiency occurs when the body cannot properly absorb the vitamin from the intestinal tract. It can also occur after long-term treatment with antibiotics. Those who are suffering with Vitamin K deficiency are often more likely to have bruising and bleeding.If you take certain blood-thinning drugs, you may need to eat less of vitamin K containing foods.