Vitamin K is a fat-soluble provided in two forms which are phylloquinone found in green leafy vegetables and menaquinones found in animal and fermented foods.
Vitamin K helps to create various proteins needed for blood clots and the building of bones. Prothrombin is a protein that depends on vitamin K and is directly linked to blood clotting and osteocalcin is a protein that needs vitamin K to obtain healthy bones.
Vitamin K is found in the whole body including the liver, brain, heart, pancreas, and bone. It’s quickly broken and excreted into urine or stool. Vitamin K has main role-playing as we know in blood clotting, bone metabolism, and regulating blood calcium levels.
1. Preventing Osteoporosis
Vitamin K has a biological function in blood clots and hemostasis and maintains health by improving bone health and preventing osteoporosis bone fracture. Find more symptoms of osteoporosis.
That’s why vitamin K impacts bones in various ways. For example, a key coenzyme for the gamma-glutamyl carboxylase enzyme reaction converts glutamic acid (Glu) residues in protein depending on vitamin K (VKDPs) to gamma-carboxyglutamic acid (Gla).
Five from VKDPs in the bones are osteocalcin (OC), matrix Gla protein (MGP), gas 6, periostin, and protein S. Vitamin K arrangement transcription osteoblastic marker and osteoclasts and bone resorption.
Several studies found that low-concentration serum vitamin K (phylloquinone) is related to high levels of undercarboxylated osteocalcin (ucOC).
Most research does evaluate vitamin K the bone mineral density (BMD) revealing that intake of vitamin K is enough to increase BMD. After being adapted to factors status and menopausal age, women with low-level intake of vitamin K have low BMD.
2. Reduces Excessive Menstrual Flow (Menorrhagia)
Lacking vitamin K is one of the reasons for menorrhagia. Consumption of vitamin K can decrease over the bloodstream while menstruation. It is because will reduce the amount of blood that will flow out of the body.
There are guidelines for consuming vitamin K in girls 14-18 years who need 75 micrograms per day and women over 19 years who need 90 micrograms per day.
In the form of supplements, many multivitamins contain vitamin K usually in the number of equivalents of around 75% in the daily recommended. Depending on the brand will find various doses within giving 5000% intake than recommended.
The best dose to consume is to consult with the doctor to know to determine a supplementation ideal dose.
3. Reduces Menstrual Pain (Dysmenorrhea)
In the United States and Europe, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory (NSAID) and oral contraceptives are the most common treatment for this condition. To reduce menstrual pain actually obtained from the health benefits of pineapple for females.
However, in China, there is a standard trial treatment is done involving the injection of vitamin K into acupuncture points. It is helpful for pain measurement after injection and determines the effectiveness of injection.
This research will be planned during the five cycles of menstruation. The first group will receive an injection of vitamin K acupuncture in both legs and a salt injection in the right butt.
The second group will receive a salt injection at the acupuncture point and a salt injection to the right butt. Lastly, the third group will receive a salt injection at the point of pseudo acupuncture on both legs and a vitamin K injection in the right on the butt.
The injection will be given one day for the first two days in first-period cycles to participants experiencing menstrual pain. Participants noted menstrual pain after injection in every 2, 5, 30, and 60 minutes.
The participants unsatisfied with this injection treatment will be offered Chinese herbal (NSAID) within 1 hour after injection. After it, participants will requested to fill questioner about menstrual pain or side effects probably experienced during the next menstrual cycle.
4. Prevents Hemorrhagic Babies
Vitamin K deficiency bleeding (VKDB) is common bleeding that occurs in newborn infants during a few days in the first of life. VKDB is previously called hemorrhagic disease in newborns.
Babies are usually born with low levels of vitamin K, an important factor in blood clots. Babies at the risk occur bleeding from VLDB are babies who don’t receive injection preventive vitamin K at birth, exclusively breastfed babies, and the last is babies whose mothers only consume anticonvulsants for seizures and anticoagulants for blood clots disorder.
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends for every baby newborn be given an injection of vitamin K after birth, and also fill with infant formula containing vitamin K, a mineral to get the benefits of okra for the baby and to prevent this disease. A blood transfusion might be needed if there is severe bleeding.
5. Reduces the Clotting of Blood
Vitamin K has a direct impact on 7 factors of bleeding, made from a certain protein. It is important to stop bleeding in the form of blood clots called carboxylation or adding a compound made from one carbon, one hydrogen, and two molecules of oxygen (COOH).
Carboxylation creates a certain protein, glutamate acid in the clotting factors sticky. Stickiness helps clotting factors patch one to others and build blood clots.
Every factor coagulation bases protein adding a certain ingredient to build layer clots such as build up a brick wall. Protein on depend to vitamin K has anti-coagulation properties.
The ability to clot well is the function needed by whole the body. Without enough vitamin K, the risk of bleeding can’t be controlled or hemorrhage becomes bigger. However, affecting protein to obtain blood clots is only one of the function from many functions of vitamin K.
6. Improve Cardiovascular Health
The GAS6 protein is quite enough to protect the heart and vascular system. This protein depends on vitamin K to regulate the arrangement of inflammation and drive inflammation to the growth of new blood vessels.
The ability of vitamin K to activate protein help to prevent plaque forming and calcification of arteries. K’s influences over mineral binding ensure calcium doesn’t store too the soft system, easy to damage through mineralization.
The benefits of running for cardiovascular health and also a level of vitamin K significantly can reduce a marker of activity inflammation, caring heart health, and reduce inflammation in the whole body.
7. Functioning the System of Nerves
GAS 6 has a role in regulating the growth of nerve system. Vitamin K functions to protect the cell from free radicals, especially nerve cells. Free radicals occur oxidative damage, breakdown of cell compounds, speed aging, and turn on inflammation.
Vitamin K needs to create fat called sphingolipids, important for the brain and nervous system. Fats help form myelin coating every nerves cells and optimize communication between cells. The communication nervous system in optimal has a positive impact spread widely to the whole body.
Intake healthy of vitamin K look controls the functioning of GAS6 to give affect the nervous system ages over a lifetime. It can impact memory, thinking, focus, balance, and whole brain health, especially among adults.
8. Improve Cellular Growth and Immunity
Another protein needs vitamin K called Growth Arrest-Specific 6 (GAS 6). It can be found throughout the body in the heart, lungs, kidneys, stomach, and cartilage.
This protein has a direct impact on regulating the growth of cells. It increases signal and communication cells among adhesion and duplication. This protein protects healthy cells from programmed death.
The capacity to bind cell membranes allows it to aid the removal of cells undergoing apoptosis. Apoptosis is a vital function in the induction of dead cells in damage. GAS6 binding death cells and taken to phagocytes, or specific cells that ate death cells after apoptosis.
Protein helps to lose unwanted cells, an important factor to prevent inflammation and pain. Vitamin K has a role in caring for the system to be optimal and helping the body work well and efficiently at cell levels.
9. Regulates the Blood Sugar
Osteocalcin does more than just build up the system of bones. This protein is a hormone and affects beta cells secreting insulin in the pancreas.
Osteocalcin persuades the release of more insulin to get effects. Insulin is a complex hormone that directs the body using calories, regulating blood sugar, and affecting the production of energy and other roles.
Osteocalcin sends instructions to fatty cells and relieves adiponectin hormone, a key factor in sensitivity to insulin. The effect vitamin K in the body creates and uses insulin to protect blood sugar normally.
A whole healthy blood sugar includes healthy body weight, inflammation responses in the optimal, function of nerves properly, and responses to stress in normal.
10. Bone Health
Build up strong bones and teeth involving multivitamins, minerals, protein, and the benefits of exercise for bone health. The process of building new bone is done by osteoblasts and breaking the bone’s system through osteoclasts.
Osteocalcin, a protein made by osteoblast cells depends on vitamin K to work properly. The ability of osteocalcin to bind minerals depends on the carboxylation process similar to the blood clot.
Carboxylation is help to create minerals sticky each binding, making bone become dense and strong. The bone is made through put a base of collagen and other protein and then fill with mineral crystals like calcium, magnesium, and phosphorus.
This action is pushed by enough vitamin K. Osteocalcin can’t be sticky because lacking vitamin K, is a main factor in bone breaks and fractures. Another protein called matrix GLA protein (MGP) depends on vitamin K.
The calcium protein binding can be found in the heart, lungs, and kidneys. MGP has a role in the normal development and growth of the bone system.
Through absorbing minerals optimal, bones and teeth grow stronger and dense. MGP can protect cartilage and the system is softly calcified because of mineral coagulation.
The effect vitamin K can ward off kidney stones and protect from mineral coagulation in arteries and in the system softly. Production of MGP increases with vitamin D levels. Their connection of them is to build and maintain healthy bones. Â
Foods containing vitamin K1
The recommended intake of vitamin K depends on age and any other factors. It is found on green leafy vegetables and any food rich in vitamin K such as boiled spinach, cooked broccoli, coleslaw with homemade dressing, cooked asparagus, soybean oil, red or green grapes, plums, kidney beans, yogurt, mayonnaise, and margarine. The daily intake of vitamin K in recommendation are,
| Children (Years) | Quantity Daily Intake Vitamin K (Micrograms) |
| 1 – 3 | 0,9 |
| 4 – 13 | 1,3 |
| 14 – 18 | 1,8 |
| Over 19 | 2,4 |
| Pregnant Women | 2,6 |