Discover the Health-Boosting Benefits of Vitamin K
You can do everything right — eat your greens, stay active, and keep an eye on your overall health.
But what if there’s a crucial nutrient that supports your body’s most vital functions that’s not getting the attention it deserves?
Vitamin K is crucial for proper blood clotting, strong bones, and a healthy heart. It’s an important nutrient that’s essential for helping your body function properly.
However, about 60% of men and 40% of women don’t get the recommended intake of vitamin K required for the body to function optimally.
In this article, we’ll explore some of the main benefits of vitamin K and its role in helping your body function optimally.
What is Vitamin K?
Vitamin K is an essential fat-soluble nutrient, which means it needs dietary fat — the fat we get from plant and animal foods — to be absorbed into the body.
This vitamin is essential for several biological processes in the body, especially blood clotting, bone health, and cardiovascular function.
The term “vitamin K” refers to a group of chemically similar compounds known as naphthoquinones.
These compounds are divided into two primary forms: vitamin K1 (phylloquinone) and vitamin K2 (menaquinones) — we explain both types later in this article.
What are the Different Forms of Vitamin K?
As mentioned above, there are two forms of vitamin K, each with its own specific function in the body:
Vitamin K1 (phylloquinone)
Vitamin K1 is primarily responsible for blood clotting by synthesizing several proteins involved in the coagulation process.
These proteins include prothrombin, which is essential for blood clot formation.
Without enough vitamin K1, the body's ability to form blood clots can be impaired, leading to excessive bleeding. We discuss the type of bleeding later in this article.
Vitamin K2 (menaquinones)
Vitamin K2 also has several vital roles in the body, particularly in bone and cardiovascular health.
It helps activate proteins that regulate where calcium is deposited in the body, ensuring it goes into the bones and teeth rather than into soft tissues like arteries, where it could cause calcification, which is harmful to the heart.
This makes vitamin K2 crucial for preventing osteoporosis — a condition characterized by weak and brittle bones — and reducing the risk of cardiovascular diseases.
Where is Vitamin K Found?
The body doesn’t produce vitamin K itself, but certain types of bacteria in your intestines can make a small amount of vitamin K2.
However, most of the vitamin K your body needs comes from the food you eat.
If you want to maintain healthy levels of vitamin K and avoid a deficiency, it’s essential to incorporate foods rich in vitamin K into a balanced diet.
Some foods that contain substantial amounts of vitamin K include:
Green leafy vegetables such as kale, spinach, and broccoli
Fermented foods like sauerkraut, cheese, and yogurt
Other vegetables like Brussels sprouts, cabbage, and asparagus
People at risk of a deficiency may need to take an oral vitamin K supplement to ensure their bodies function optimally.
It’s important to speak to your healthcare provider before you start vitamin K supplementation, as this may not be suitable for you.
What are the Benefits of Vitamin K?
Now that you know what vitamin K is and where it’s found, let’s look at some of the benefits of this nutrient:
Bone health
Vitamin K is vital in maintaining healthy and strong bones and reducing the risk of diseases like osteoporosis.
This vitamin helps regulate the amount of calcium in the body, ensuring it’s deposited into your bones rather than tissues and arteries. This is especially important for bone mineral density and strength.
As mentioned earlier, one of the critical proteins activated in the body by vitamin K — osteocalcin — binds calcium to the bone structure. This helps lower your risk of bone conditions and fractures, especially in older adults.
Blood clotting
The body uses vitamin K to produce proteins necessary to help blood clot and stop bleeding if you get injured.
Without enough vitamin K in the body, blood won’t clot, which can lead to excessive bleeding — like prolonged nosebleeds and heavy menstrual periods — and bruising.
Cardiovascular health
Vitamin K contributes to cardiovascular health by preventing calcium from building up in the arteries — known as calcification — and other soft tissues in the body.
Calcification can lead to coronary artery calcification — a condition where the arteries harden from too much calcium — increasing the risk of heart attacks and strokes.
Vitamin K2, in particular, reduces the risk of arterial stiffness and cardiovascular disease.
Cognitive health
Vitamin K may have a protective effect on the brain and cognitive health.
It’s involved in synthesizing sphingolipids, a component of brain cell membranes that plays a role in cognitive function.
Regulation of blood sugar levels
This vitamin also helps regulate blood sugar levels, as vitamin K2 improves insulin sensitivity.
Improved insulin sensitivity means that the body’s cells can better respond to insulin, leading to more effective regulation of blood glucose levels, which can help manage type 2 diabetes.
Anti-inflammatory benefits
Vitamin K has anti-inflammatory properties, which can help manage diseases like heart disease and diabetes.
It does this by reducing the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines, which are molecules that signal inflammation in the body. Vitamin K helps manage these chronic conditions by lowering inflammation.
Vision health
This nutrient contributes to eye health by reducing the risk of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a leading cause of vision loss in aging adults.
Kidney health
Vitamin K supports kidney health by preventing the calcification of kidney tissues. Calcification in the body can lead to kidney stones and impair kidney function.
Adequate vitamin K levels maintain the body's calcium balance, reducing the likelihood of these complications.
Immune function
The vitamin plays a role in immune function as it supports the health of various immune cells. This contributes to a stronger immune response, which protects against infections and other immune-related conditions.
Skin health
Vitamin K helps heal wounds, bruises, and stretch marks, and reduces the appearance of dark circles under the eyes. This is due to its involvement in blood clotting and tissue repair.
Topical creams containing vitamin K are often recommended for improving skin conditions that involve blood vessels.
Key Point: The Health Benefits of Vitamin K for Postmenopausal Women
Postmenopausal women are at an increased risk for osteoporosis due to lower estrogen levels, which affect bone density. Vitamin K, especially K2, has been shown to help maintain bone density in this group, reducing the risk of bone fractures.
Research suggests that vitamin K2 supplementation can help improve bone mineral density and fractures in postmenopausal women.
Understanding Interactions between Blood Thinners and Vitamin K
Blood thinners like warfarin help stop blood clots from forming by lowering the activity of vitamin K in your body. Since vitamin K helps your blood clot, reducing its activity makes clots less likely to form.
However, if you suddenly start taking vitamin K supplements or eating a lot of foods high in vitamin K, your blood might clot more easily, which can be dangerous, particularly if you’re prescribed blood thinners or at risk of conditions like deep vein thrombosis.
On the other hand, if you suddenly consume a lot less vitamin K, blood thinner medication might, in effect, start working too well, which can increase your risk of excessive bleeding.
It’s important to keep your vitamin K intake consistent if you’re taking blood thinners. This doesn’t mean you need to avoid foods that contain vitamin K, but you should try to eat a similar amount regularly.
To avoid negative interactions, you should consult a healthcare provider to determine whether your dosage or vitamin K intake needs adjustment.
Where Can I Learn More About Vitamin K?
Through LifeMD, you can consult a board-certified physician or nurse practitioner to learn more about the essential nutrients and minerals you need for your overall well-being.
Healthcare professionals at LifeMD can order lab work to help diagnose illnesses, help you manage the symptoms, and provide treatment for various health conditions.
Skip the waiting room and book your online consultation at a time that best suits you.
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