Vitamin K is supposed to be the ‘blood-clotting vitamin’ and plays a pivotal role in wound healing. It is also, a remarkable factor in maintaining bone health. Vitamin K is supposed to be an important fat-soluble vitamin which makes proteins meant for normal blood clotting and healthy bones. As per the ‘Harvard School of Public Health’, vitamin K is instrumental in producing four of the thirteen proteins required for blood clotting.
Vitamin K Sources
As per https://www.webmd.com, “Vitamin K is actually a group of compounds. The most important of these compounds appears to be vitamin K1 and vitamin K2. Vitamin K1 is obtained from leafy greens and some other vegetables. Vitamin K2 is a group of compounds largely obtained from meats, cheeses, and eggs, and synthesized by bacteria.”
We know that bacteria present in your gastrointestinal tract normally produce vitamin K naturally. Some of the dietary Vitamin K sources that are extremely rich in this vitamin are green leafy vegetables including green leaf lettuce, collard, kale, parsley, mustard greens, spinach, romaine lettuce, turnip greens, and Swiss chard and some vegetables like Brussels sprouts, broccoli, cabbage, and cauliflower. Other sources such as fish, meats, eggs, liver, and cereals are good for Vitamin K replenishment but are not as rich a source as green leafy vegetables or other vegetables.
Vitamin K Benefits
Vitamin K is a crucial factor in wound healing and boosting bone health. As per the ‘Harvard School of Public Health’, vitamin K helps in manufacturing important four of the thirteen proteins essential for blood clotting. Vitamin K would be teaming up with Vitamin D for ensuring that calcium is supplied to the bones for proper bone development. As Vitamin K plays an integral role in maintaining good bone health, it could be used for treating certain bone-related issues. We know that Vitamin K boosts bone mineral density and helps in minimizing the chances of fracture, particularly, hip fracture in women.
Vitamin K Deficiency
Vitamin K deficiency seems to be quite a rare condition in the United States of America. Vitamin K deficient patients are people who are not able to absorb properly the naturally-produced Vitamin K in the digestive or the intestinal tract. People, who are suffering from severe gastrointestinal disorders like cystic fibrosis, gallbladder disease, or Crohn’s disease usually, are not able to absorb vitamin K properly. These medical conditions could improve by administering Vitamin K supplements.
Apart from these diseases, ‘deficiency of the vit K dependent factors’ is supposed to be a bleeding disorder that involves issues with some clotting factors. In this context, we know that those who consume antibiotics for a long period of time could become Vitamin K deficient.
Babies are actually not born with the essential bacteria that produce vitamin K. Moreover, breast milk is not a rich source of Vitamin K. In many developed nations, newly born babies are given Vitamin K shots for preventing both external and internal bleeding. We know that Vitamin K deficiency could culminate in excessive bleeding that may start from your gums or nose. Other Vitamin deficiency symptoms may include blood in stools or urine, easy bruising etc.
Conclusion
When you see the symptoms of Vitamin K deficiency, it is best to seek medical intervention at the earliest. Your health care professional may suggest taking a supplement to rule out any deficiency in the future.
Author bio –
Daniel Mattei is a Professional writer. He has written many articles on Health. In this article, he has mentioned about vit K dependent factors.