The Vitamin Addict

When it comes to important vitamins for the body, you don’t want to forget this one. Vitamin K is closely associated with blood clotting and is an important vitamin for the body. In fact, vitamin K is directly linked with the function of several proteins that are necessary for your blood to clot correctly. It is a fat-soluble vitamin which means that it is stored by the fatty tissues of the body.

Today vitamin K is distinguished by two forms that occur naturally. Vitamin K-1 is the plants synthesize phylloquinone. Vitamin K-2 is bacteria synthesize. There is an MK-4 that is being studied more at this point that appears to be synthesized by animals and humans but, it still requires much more research at this time.

Vitamin K Functions

The main biological function of vitamin K is to aid in the calcium-binding function of proteins that are needed for blood clotting. This is a very important aspect as clotting is the body’s natural way to prevent a person from losing to much blood in the event of an injury. When you receive a cut or other type of open wound, the blood should clot on its own preventing a person from bleeding to death with minor or moderate wounds.

Uncontrolled blood clotting is also dangerous for a person as this can form clots which block the flow of blood to arteries resulting in heart failure, stroke and so forth. Vitamin K helps to regulate the proteins that prevent this from happening as well. Vitamin K may also play an important role when it comes to cell growth and the aging process of the nervous system. However, more studies are needed to determine its exact action concerning these functions. 

Known Vitamin K Deficiencies and Food Sources

There are a few obvious signs that would indicate that a person is suffering from a Vitamin K deficiency, they include the following:

• Uncontrollable bleeding
• Bruising easily
• Excessive nosebleeds
• Bleeding gums
• Blood in the urine or stool
• Tarry black stools
• Extremely heavy bleeding during menstrual cycle

It is very unusual for a healthy adult to have a vitamin K deficiency but, infants that are breast-fed are at a higher risk than newborns that are not. This is due to the fact that compared to baby formula breast milk has a very low amount of vitamin K. It is also contributed to the fact that a newborns intestine may not be colonized with bacteria that synthesize this vitamin or it may not be fully functional at birth.

You can find vitamin K in many different types of foods. Some of them are listed below:

• Cabbage
• Spinach
• Lettuce
• Cauliflower
• Broccoli
• Kale
• Brussels sprouts
• Wheat bran
• Fruits
• Meat
• Dairy products
• Soy products

Vitamin K-2 can be found in chicken, butter, cheese, egg yolks and some types of mayonnaise. Because vitamin K is found in so many different types of food, it is rare for a person to not get the required amount needed to stay healthy. Never forget the importance of Vitamin K when you are considering a vitamin supplement plan.