VITAMIN K… An Overlooked Vitamin?

VITAMIN K… An Overlooked Vitamin?

Just how much does our body need Vitamin K? Over the years, the need for this vitamin has been both understated and underrated. With just very little research on vitamin K, the need for it has not been stressed enough, and so it has remained as one of the vitamin supplements that is unheard of by many. Subsequently, it has been thought that most people are already taking the recommended daily allowance (RDA) of Vitamin K from their regular meals. However, recent studies show that the regular diet does not have an ample amount of Vitamin K after all. And the flash news is, as we grow older, the more the body will need this particular vitamin.

What is Vitamin K?

Vitamin K is a nutritional component that comes in many forms. Dietary fat in our body is compulsory for the absorption of this vitamin. Vitamin K is also responsible for the body’s effective blood clotting. By and large, the main task of Vitamin K is to look after the human body from bleeding excessively when a cut or wound is incurred. It also prevents internal bleeding by thickening the blood.

Its Purpose

Vitamin K is a crucial building block that helps our body control blood clotting.
It is vital in the production of the liver protein that controls the clotting action.
It is expected to aid in generating the prothrombin (blood plasma protein synthesized in the liver), which is the essential forerunner to thrombin (an enzyme that converts fibrinogen to fibrin) - an extremely significant factor in blood clotting.
Vitamin K greatly contributes in bone formation and repair.
Vitamin K is also essential for the biosynthesis of some proteins found in plasma, bone and kidneys.
In the intestines, it also assists in converting glucose to glycogen, which is the body's most important source of stored energy. Glycogen is stored principally in liver and muscle cells.
Some advanced analytical method of research show some suggestions that Vitamin K may diminish the occurrence, frequency, or severity of osteoporosis and measured bone loss.

How Much Vitamin K Do We Need?

The Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for Vitamin K for adult males is 80 micrograms (mcg) and for adult females 70 mcg. Current studies advocate that taking in 420 micrograms a day augments the amount of bone-building proteins in the blood.

Sources of Vitamin K

Foods - (in Micrograms of Vitamin K*)
Kale = 278mg
Swiss chard = 149mg
Spinach = 112mg
Broccoli = 90mg
Red leaf lettuce = 59mg

Where Else Can We Get Vitamin K?

Cultured dairy products like yogurt and cheese can aid the intestines to effectively process and generate a form of Vitamin K, which is known as menaquinone
Green vegetables and soybean oil are also good sources of Vitamin K1, also known as phylloquinone
Asparagus, broccoli, spinach, coffee, bacon, beef liver, and green tea have been found helpful in providing Vitamin K
Menadione is the term for Vitamin K3 which is a man-made version of Vitamin K

Symptoms of Vitamin K Deficiency

Although it is an uncommon occurrence as it is an element very much integrated in everyday food, Vitamin K deficiency however results in a lot of conditions.
Weak blood clotting activity, which is, more often than not, verified by laboratory tests that calculate and determine clotting time.
Some signs of Vitamin K deficiency may also take account of easy bruising and bleeding that may be manifested as nosebleeds, bleeding gums, blood in the urine, blood in the stool, and black stools.
For women, one of the symptoms may be really heavy menstrual bleeding.
For infants, an upshot of vitamin K deficiency may result in life-threatening bleeding within the skull (intracranial hemorrhage)

Turnips as a source of Vitamin K!

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