Vitamin K

Overview:

Vitamin K is a fat-soluble vitamin, so your body stores it in fat tissue and the liver. It is best known for its role in helping blood clot. The "K" comes from its German name, Koagulationsvitamin. Vitamin K also plays an important role in bone health. It is very rare to have a vitamin K deficiency. That' s because in addition to being found in leafy green foods, the bacteria in your intestines make vitamin K. Sometimes taking antibiotics can kill the bacteria and lead to a mild deficiency, mostly in people with low levels to begin with. Vitamin K deficiency can lead to excessive bleeding, which may begin as oozing from the gums or nose. Other things that may lead to vitamin K deficiency include:

Health problems that can prevent your body from absorbing vitamin K, such as gallbladder or biliary disease, cystic fibrosis, celiac disease, and Crohn's disease Liver disease Taking blood-thinners, such as warfarin (Coumadin) Long-term hemodialysis Serious burns

The two most important cases vitamin K is administered include: Excessive Bleeding In case of liver disease, heavy menstrual bleeding and conditions where the body doesnt absorb enough vitamin K. In the U.S., Canada, Great Britain, and many other countries, all newborns receive vitamin K injections to prevent the possibility of bleeding, particularly in the brain, since Babies are born without any bacteria in their intestines and do not get enough vitamin K from breast milk to tide them over until their bodies are able to make it. Mothers on seizure medications are often given oral vitamin K for 2 weeks before delivery. Osteoporosis our bodies need vitamin K to use calcium to build bone. People who have higher levels of vitamin K have greater bone density, while lower levels of vitamin K have been found in those with osteoporosis. Hence vitamin k supplement is given to these patients.

Signs and symptoms of vitamin K deficiency may include:

Heavy menstrual bleeding Anemia Nose bleeds Bleeding gums Osteoporosis is strongly linked to low vitamin K2 levels Coronary heart disease is strongly linked to low vitamin K2 levels

Dietary Sources:
Good sources of vitamin K1 include:

Spinach Swiss chard Cabbage Kale Cauliflower Broccoli Brussel sprouts Avocado Kiwifruit Grapes Parsley - two tablespoon contain 153% of RDA (recommended daily amount)

Good sources of vitamin K2 include:

Meat Eggs Dairy products Natto (Japanese food made from soybeans fermented with Bacillus subtilis)

Chlorophyll is the substance in plants that gives them their green color and provides vitamin K. Freezing foods may destroy vitamin K, but normal heating does not affect it.
Available Forms:

There are 3 forms of vitamin K: Vitamin K1 or phylloquinone Vitamin K2 or menaquinone Vitamin K3 or menaphthone Water-soluble chlorophyll is the most common form of vitamin K found over the counter.

Function:

Vitamin K is used by the liver to produce clotting factors which helps in clotting.. Vitamin K is needed for the synthesis of factors II, VII, IX, and X. All these factors are necessary for the conversion of fibrinogen to fibrin. Cross-linked fibrins are clots.

The primary role of Vitamin K in forms K1 and K2 is the synthesis of prothrombin, a protein in the bloodstream responsible for blood clotting. prothrombin, glycoprotein (carbohydrate-protein compound) occurring in blood plasma and an essential component of the blood-clotting mechanism. Prothrombin is transformed into thrombin by a clotting factor known as factor X or prothrombinase; thrombin then acts to transform fibrinogen, also present in plasma, into fibrin, which, in combination with platelets from the blood, forms the clot (a process called coagulation). Under normal circumstances, prothrombin is changed into thrombin only when injury occurs to the tissues or circulatory system, therefore fibrin and blood clots are not formed except in response to bleeding. research shows that vitamin K2 is essential for the synthesis of particular proteins to bind calcium, also a key factor in the blood clotting process

As well, both K1 and K2 are coenzymes that play a major part in regulating the mineralization of bone, a process known as carboxylation of osteocalcin, a bone protein.