Just like with everything else, vitamins are not just one thing, there are different types of them.
Vitamins play an important role in your body. They’re essential for various metabolic functions. Not getting enough of them, even if you do get the necessary amounts of other vitamins, can lead to harmful health conditions and even death. Luckily, most people don’t have this problem.
Vitamin K is essential in the human diet, especially because it maintains blood clotting and reduces calcification of the arteries or hardening of the arteries.
The content of this article will provide you with all details about this vitamin, its useful properties, the best sources, as well as its side effects.
Types
Vitamin K is a group of fat-soluble vitamins (this means that our bodies have trouble absorbing it unless the dietary fat content is high) with similar characteristics and the same letter of the alphabet.
There are three types of this vitamin:
- vitamin K1
- vitamin K2
- vitamin K3
Vitamin K1
Vitamin K1 (phylloquinone) is an essential vitamin that helps your blood clot. It’s also important to help keep your bones healthy, and it may even play a role in preventing cancer.
It is found in green leafy vegetables such as kale and spinach, as well as broccoli and brussels sprouts. Other sources include cauliflower, cabbage, bok choy, romaine lettuce, collard greens, and Swiss chard.
Vitamin K2
This vitamin is synthesized by bacteria in the intestine and absorbed into the bloodstream. The body then distributes it to various tissues in the body including bone, liver, heart, and blood vessels.
It works with Vitamin D to help regulate calcium balance in the body, which helps prevent osteoporosis and fractures.
It is essential for blood clotting. It can be found in meat and dairy products, as well as fermented foods and supplements.
It is important for preventing osteoporosis, heart disease, and cancer. It also helps to protect against cardiovascular disease and atherosclerosis by improving the blood’s ability to clot.
Studies have shown that people with lower levels of this vitamin have a higher risk of heart disease and Alzheimer’s disease.
Vitamin K3
This is a fat-soluble vitamin (it is also known as menadione) that plays an essential role in keeping your heart healthy.
Vitamin K3 is a dietary supplement that can be used as an alternative to vitamin K2. It differs from traditional vitamins in that it contains a synthetic form of the vitamin rather than its naturally occurring counterpart.
It can help reduce inflammation and pain, as well as improve bone health and prevent osteoporosis.
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9 symptoms of this vitamin deficiency:
Here are 9 symptoms of vitamin K deficiency:
1. Easy bruising
2. Nosebleeds
3. Intense headache/dizziness
4. Hemorrhage (internal bleeding)
5. Swollen gums and lips
6. Bruising easily while exercising, or bruising at all after being injured
7. Pale skin
8. Sore muscles and joints
9. Loss of appetite
The best 13 benefits:
This is one of the most important vitamins you can get. It has a wide range of benefits, including:
1. It helps your bones stay strong.
2. It helps make blood clotting happen right.
3. It helps your heart function at its peak performance level.
4. It helps keep your brain sharp even as you get older.
5. It can help prevent cancer and other diseases like Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and others that can affect your central nervous system.
6. Aids in muscle movement and flexibility.
7. Prevents tooth decay (helps to prevent cavities).
8. Protects against liver damage.
9. Prevents osteoporosis
10. Lowers risk of cardiovascular disease
11. It’s also good for your skin because it reduces wrinkles and age spots!
12. Keeps Your Skin Healthy: this vitamin is needed for the production of collagen, a protein that keeps skin healthy and youthful
13, In addition to its role in blood clotting, researchers have found that vitamin K may play an important role against age-related syndromes
The best vitamin K food sources
This is an essential nutrient that helps your body function properly. It’s stored in your body’s fat cells and can be used over time.
But where do you get it?
Vegetal food sources:
- Spinach
- Kale
- Collard greens
- Carrots
- Broccoli
- Cabbage
- Brussels sprouts
- Cauliflower
- Asparagus
- Green Beans
- Avocado
- Nuts and seeds.
Animal food sources:
- Chicken liver
- Beef Liver
- Fish oil
- Salmon
- Sardines
- Cheese
- Yogurt
- Milk
- Egg Yolks.
5 Uses
Here are 5 ways you can use this vitamin in your daily life:
1. May improve memory loss associated with aging by helping brain cells communicate better with one another, which improves memory function overall
2. It helps your body use calcium by regulating how much calcium is released from bone into the bloodstream.
3. Treating acne
4. Prevents kidney stones from forming
5. Is a key component of the female hormone estrogen (making it important for women who are or may become pregnant).
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Daily dosage
According to the National Institutes of Health, adults over 19 should get 90 micrograms per day, and lower amounts are recommended for children.
The recommended daily intake is 120 micrograms for adults over 50 years old.
Most people only get about 80% of this amount, which is why it’s so important to supplement with vitamin K1.
The supplements
If you don’t eat enough of the foods high in vitamin K, then you may need to take a supplement. The average person only gets about 30 mcg of this vitamin per day from their diet.
Vitamin K supplements are also known as phytonadione or phylloquinone. They help your body absorb calcium and keep your bones strong by promoting the absorption of calcium from the intestines into the bloodstream. In other words, they help you get more out of your food!
Side Effects
Vitamin K side effects can be mild and treatable, but some can be more serious. If you experience any of the following side effects after taking vitamin K, contact a doctor right away:
The side effects can include:
- Bruising
- Nausea
- Diarrhea
- Headache
- Stomach pain
- Weakness and fatigue.
NOTE: People who take anticoagulants (blood thinners) or antiplatelet drugs should not use vitamin K supplements unless advised by their doctor because this can increase the risk of bleeding.
Conclusion:
Vitamin K is linked to a myriad of health benefits. Without a doubt, it is most commonly known as the vitamin used to treat or prevent bleeding and bruising.
However, it’s also been linked to other areas of the body, beyond the blood. It is an extremely important vitamin. It’s required for several functions in the body, it can reduce the risk of certain cancers and heart disease, and it’s even a great anti-aging tool.
Overall, this vitamin is important for the body, so I don’t recommend that you cut it from your diet.
I guess that’s the end of my article on vitamin k. I hope it has provided some useful information for you.
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