Health Watch: What Do You Know About Vitamin K?

Most people are familiar with benefits of vitamins. The most common vitamins with which people are familiar are A, B, C, D and E. However few people know about the benefits of vitamin K. It derives from the German word Koagulation which is similar to the English word coagulation. That refers to blood clotting. Most people are not deficient in vitamin K unless they suffer from malnourishment. Babies are usually given a shot of vitamin k within a day of birth to stimulate coagulation. There are a number of forms of vitamin K with K1 being the most common. It is also the one present in green vegetables. When people have blood clots, strokes or abnormal heart rhythms, doctors often prescribe anti K drugs such as warfarin which act as anticoagulants. Food high in vitamin K can aid in having a healthy heart. Foods that are high in vitamin K include green vegetables such as kale, spinach, collard greens, parsley, broccoli and Brussels sprouts. Fruit , milk and meat also have vitamin k in different quantites. Vitamin K also comes in K2 and K3 versions which also aid in bone health. In fact study of 72,000 women over a decade followed by the The Nurses' Health Study found that those with less than 109 micrograms a day of vitamin K were 30% more likely to suffer a hip fracture. Overall Americans are not eating enough vitamin K. Eating more would promote healthier cardiovascular systems and stronger bones.

Key Takeaways:

• Vitamin K is required by the human body for coagulation or clotting of blood.
• Dietary sources of Vitamin K include but are not limited to kale, blueberries, spinach, mustard greens, and broccoli.
• Some anticoagulant medications may interfere with the action of Vitamin K.

"K2, as well as K1, are believed to play an important role in bone health; low levels have been associated with an increased risk of both osteoporosis and arthritis."

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