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Vitamin K - Why Do We Need It?Vitamin K – Otherwise known as Phytonadione
This vitamin is most often referred to as the ‘blood clotting’ vitamin and is necessary to help wounds heal. It also helps to regulate and form the coagulator factors that allow the blood to clot. Some women who experience heavy bleeding during their menstrual cycle may be treated with vitamin K. Vitamin K also has many important functions which are often overlooked when discussing the benefits of this group. It plays a significant role in preventing heart and coronary disease by keeping calcium away from artery walls which, if present, can block artery walls or the tissues that surround them. Using vitamin K to regulate calcium can also reduce the risk of developing kidney stones. The best sources of vitamin K are found in leafy green vegetables, so ensure you include spinach, kale, broccoli, collard greens, okra, asparagus, cabbage, brussel sprouts, green beans and turnip greens in your well balanced nutritional diet. It is also found in dairy products, corn and soya oil, liver, eggs, fish, seaweed, lentils, potatoes, nuts and alfalfa. Symptoms of deficiencies in this vitamin result in impaired blood clotting, including the amount of time it takes blood to clot or when a person bleeds easily and for longer than usual periods of time. A person who bruises more quickly than normal could also be deficient. Deficiencies have also been linked to nosebleeds, gum bleeds, hematomas, gastrointestinal bleeding, blood in the urine, anemia and ovarian haemorrhaging. Vitamin K deficiency is uncommon in healthy adults as it is widespread in foods and the bacteria that usually inhabit the large intestine create menaquinones (vitamin k2). However people who have digestive trouble are often found to be deficient as it relates to the body’s ability to absorb nutrients proficiently. Individuals who take anticoagulant drugs or with significant liver damage or disease may also suffer from deficiency in this group. A high intake of vitamin K may interfere with anticoagulant medication therefore be sure to check with your doctor before making any dietary or supplementary modifications.
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One of the fat soluble vitamins that has three forms: phytomenadione, menaquinane and menadione, commonly referred to as quinines. The body is able to produce vitamin K by using the bacteria found in the large intestines.
