Vitamin K is important for our our bodies to operate properly. Understanding the advantages and knowing which meals so as to add to your daily diet can assist keep you wholesome and assist keep away from a Vitamin K deficiency.
What Are the Health Benefits of Vitamin K?
When it involves Vitamin K, there are two different types: Vitamin K1 and Vitamin K2.
- Vitamin K1, additionally known as phylloquinone, comes from plants. The best sources are green, leafy plants such as kale or spinach.
- Vitamin K2, additionally known as menaquinone, is present in animal-based meals such as egg yolks, butter, and fermented meals like kefir. It additionally happens naturally in our intestinal tract.
Vitamin K has one big well being benefit. It helps our our bodies with coagulation, which is additionally known as blood clotting. Without blood clotting, we’re in danger of extreme bleeding, not solely on the outside of our bodies, however inside as well.
Vitamin K helps our our bodies produce the proteins it must coagulate our blood. When you don’t have sufficient Vitamin K, you usually have a tendency to expertise heavy bleeding that’s not easy to stop.
In addition to serving to our our bodies coagulate blood, Vitamin K additionally contributes to overall bone and coronary heart health. Low ranges of Vitamin K can be an element in osteoporosis in addition to cardiovascular symptoms.
8 Vitamin K Deficiency Symptoms
Beyond extreme bleeding, there are signs of a Vitamin K deficiency for children and adults in addition to infants.
For Children and Adults:
- Bruising easily
- Small blood clots beneath the nails
- Bleeding within the mucous membranes lining the within of the body
- Dark black, almost tar-like stool, that contains blood
For Infants:
- Bleeding in areas such as nose, skin, or gastrointestinal tract
- Bleeding on the circumcision site
- Bleeding from the place the umbilical cord was removed
- Sudden bleeding within the brain
12 Vitamin K Deficiency Causes and Risk Factors
Having a Vitamin K deficiency is rare, since most individuals get sufficient Vitamin K from their diet. For others, there are risk factors or medical conditions the place an individual will have already got or develop a deficiency.
Risk Factors of Vitamin K Deficiency
- Not getting a sufficient quantity of Vitamin K out of your diet
- Taking antibiotics that interfere with how well your physique produces and absorbs Vitamin K
- Taking anticoagulants or blood thinners which can interfere with how Vitamin K works in your body
- Taking extreme doses of both Vitamin E or Vitamin A
Causes of Vitamin K Deficiency
Some causes of Vitamin K deficiency are associated to conditions the place the physique is unable to soak up fat, in any other case known as fats absorption. Those conditions include:
- Cystic fibrosis
- Celiac disease
- Removal of a half of the intestine, such as throughout bariatric surgery
- Disorders of the biliary or intestinal tract
Newborns have a tendency to be extra in danger of getting a Vitamin K deficiency. Conditions which result in this include:
- Their liver is unable to make use of Vitamin K effectively
- Breast milk doesn’t contain sufficient ranges of Vitamin K
- While within the womb, Vitamin K doesn’t switch well from the placenta to the baby
- A child is unable to produce sufficient Vitamin K2 of their gut
Treatment for a Vitamin K Deficiency
When it involves treating a Vitamin K deficiency, a physician will prescribe a Vitamin K complement known as phytonadione. Patients can take it orally or through an injection if they’re unable to soak up it by mouth.
How a lot phytonadione is prescribed relies upon on a person’s age and overall health. Before prescribing it, your physician will check to see if you’re taking anticoagulants, since they may interfere with Vitamin K absorption.
10 Foods High in Vitamin K
These 10 meals are a nice choice if you’re looking so as to add extra Vitamin K to your diet.
- Kale – Raw or cooked, kale is a nice supply of Vitamin K. Cooking it however permits you to consume extra of this superfood in a single serving. Kale is a low-carb, low-calorie meals extreme in nutritional vitamins and minerals.
- Spinach – Like kale, cooking spinach can assist you eat extra of this leafy inexperienced extreme in Vitamin K. Spinach is one of many best sources with a whopping 1,020 mcg per one cup cooked serving. It’s additionally a nice choice if you’re looking for plant-based protein.
- Broccoli – Broccoli is not solely low in calories, it additionally has many well being benefits. It’s extreme in Vitamin K, promotes coronary heart health, and can reduce your risk of cancer.
- Kiwi – Kiwi is a sweet, wholesome way to get your daily dose of Vitamin K. With 72.5 mcg per serving, kiwi has extra of this must-have vitamin than most different fruits. It’s additionally a nice supply of Vitamins E and C, folate, and potassium.
- Asparagus – Not solely is cooked asparagus delicious, it’s additionally extreme in Vitamin K. It contains protein, folate, and can assist you attain your daily worth of fiber.
- Brussels sprouts – Whether you slice them and add them to a dish or roast them within the oven, you can’t go wrong with brussels sprouts. High in Vitamin K and antioxidants, they’re filling and full of flavor.
- Green snap beans – Full of nutrients, together with Vitamin K, inexperienced snap beans are a wholesome choice. You can enjoy them uncooked or cooked and nonetheless obtain all of their benefits, together with 60 mcg of Vitamin K per one serving of cooked beans.
- Cabbage – One serving of cooked cabbage can cowl your daily want for Vitamin K. Dense in a number of nutrients, cabbage is low in carbohydrates, calories, in addition to fat.
- Collard Greens – Rich in Vitamin K, this leafy inexperienced is best served cooked to get all of the benefits. High in antioxidants, it’s additionally a good supply of carotenoids such as beta carotene and lutein.
- Turnip Greens – Another leafy inexperienced extreme in Vitamin K, turnip greens ought to be cooked to keep away from their bitter taste. One cup of cooked turnip greens gives you twice your daily recommended worth of Vitamin K, in addition to calcium, potassium, and Vitamin C.
Although it’s rare, if you do develop a Vitamin K deficiency, it’s important to hunt treatment out of your doctor.
By studying the signs to look out for and selecting a diet extreme in Vitamin K-rich foods, you can assist prevent Vitamin K deficiency.
This post contains affiliate links.