Vitamin K plays an incredibly important role in helping your body with blood clotting, along with its heart and bone benefits. The good news is, most healthy people get plenty of Vitamin K directly through their diet. But, it is often referred to as “the Forgotten Vitamin” because it doesn’t seem to get talked about nearly as much as the rest of its vitamin family.
What is Vitamin K
We need Vitamin K in order for our bodies to grow normally, and create healthy bones, blood, and tissues. Without Vitamin K, you would just bleed excessively.
There are a few types of Vitamin K, but the two most common are K1 and K2, respectively.
Vitamin K1: This is the least toxic, faster, and stronger version of the two types. This is the one you’ll get from your leafy greens like spinach and kale, and it’s the Vitamin K most people get plenty of. Only about 10% is absorbed through your dietary intake.
Vitamin K2: This is found in fermented foods and meats like chicken and pork. It is also produced directly inside your body by your gut bacteria. This form stays in your blood longer than K1.
Benefits From Vitamin K
Vitamin K is essential to life. It has so many other functions aside from helping your blood produce a protein called prothrombin which helps with clotting and also with bone metabolism.
- Bone Health: May help to keep your bones strong, along with maintaining bone density. Both are important factors when it comes to avoiding osteoporosis.*
- Memory: May prolong cognitive health and memory.*
- Heart: May reduce the risk of heart disease by reducing the aortic and arterial elasticity*
Foods Rich In Vitamin K
It’s always best to get your vitamins and minerals through your diet. With Vitamin K, it’s pretty easy to do. It’s abundant in so many of the foods of a typical Western diet which provides 90 percent of K1 (phylloquinone), and 10 percent of K2 (menaquinone).
Here is a list of foods filled with Vitamin K:
- ½ cup cooked Kale
- ½ cup cooked mustard greens
- ½ cup cooked collard greens
- ½ cup cooked cabbage
- 1 cup raw spinach
- ½ cup cooked broccoli
- ½ cup cooked Brussels Sprouts
- ½ cup cooked green beans
- ½ cup cooked peas
- ½ medium avocado
- 1 tablespoon soybean oil
- 5 prunes
- 1 kiwi
- 1 oz. hard or soft cheese (any kind)
- 3 oz chicken
- 3 oz. pork chops
- 1 piece of beef liver
- 1 tablespoon goose liver pate
Signs Of A Vitamin K Deficiency
Your body needs to have a regular, yet small supply of Vitamin K. You need it to keep your blood coagulating correctly in the event of any type of injury. It also helps to keep your blood from clotting, which could have serious consequences if a clot forms.
Vitamin K deficiencies are pretty rare in the United States, especially if you follow a proper diet and have no health issues that don’t allow you to absorb the vitamin.
People who run the risk of a Vitamin K deficiency are:
- Cancer patients on chemotherapy
- Someone with liver disease
- Chronic dialysis patients
- Those suffering from alcohol or drug addiction
- Celiac disease patients
- Those with Crohn’s disease
- Antacids, antibiotics, and anti-seizure medication can cause Vitamin K deficiencies
- Newborns may be born with a Vitamin K deficiency which is why they receive an injection when they’re born
- People on blood thinners must be cautious with their Vitamin K intake because they work against each other.
What are the signs of a Vitamin K Deficiency?
If you have some of the following symptoms, you may be deficient in Vitamin K.
- You bruise easily
- You notice oozing from your gums and nose
- You bleed excessively from a wound or scratch
- Your menstrual periods are extremely heavy
- You’re bleeding from your GI tract
- There is blood in your urine or stool
- If you’re on a blood thinner, your prothrombin time has increased
If you are on Coumadin/Warfarin then you need to consult with your doctor because the two can work against each other. Warfarin works to thin your blood, and Vitamin K thickens it so also make sure to keep your blood draw appointments because your blood thinner dosage may need to be changed.
So, don’t forget to eat your spinach, or any other of the foods rich in Vitamin K. Or, you can consider taking supplements instead:
You’ll get 100% of the recommended daily allowance of Vitamin K in the Tespo Prenatal Pod
Find Vitamin K and more of your daily vitamins and nutrients in the Women’s Complete and Men’s Complete Pods.
To ensure proper dosing and mixing, we recommended buying the Tespo Connect Dispenser.
*Disclaimer: The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) suggests that you consult with a health care professional before using any dietary supplement. Many supplements contain ingredients that have strong biological effects, and such products may not be safe in all people.
These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
For more reading:
Why A Multivitamin And Why Personalized
Why You Need Personalized Vitamins In Your Life
References:
https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/vitaminK-HealthProfessional/