Vitamin K - do you know how important it is for us?
Vitamins are a good source of necessary micronutrients which our body needs for better health. We need vitamins to keep our body healthy and disease free. Vitamin K is one of them which helps in blood clotting process, and also provide several other health benefits. The following information provides the details about the functions, benefits and sources of Vitamin K.
Functions or benefits of Vitamin K
- Vitamin K in fact refers a group of vitamins which contains K1, K2, and K3. The functions and benefits are determined by the actual chemical being referred to.
- Being fat soluble vitamins, it absorbs fat when fatty foods are consumed along with it.
- Vitamin K1 or phyloquilline arrive in the liver and helps in blood clotting. Bleeding can be uncontrolled if the level of vitamin K is decreased. But most adults have adequate amounts of vitamin K. Sometimes, newborn baby can face this problem, and therefore, they are given a vitamin K injection.
- Gut bacteria helps in the production of vitamin K2, which arrives in blood vessel walls and bone. It prevents the accumulation of calcium salts in soft tissue which can make the arteries hard and causes heart disease.
- Vitamin K helps in increasing calcium and other minerals which mainly gather in the bones and strengthens the matrix. It can reverse osteoporosis and prevent bone loss. Vitamin K plays a crucial role in healing fractured bones.
- Vitamin K also delays the development of cancer cells and is also capable to stabilize cancer. It can also prevent the growth of prostate, hepatocellular, colon and oral cancer.
- Vitamin K helps in controlling Alzheimer’s disease and is also beneficial for old people as it develops their memory loss.
- It helps in the development of insulin action to delay onset of type 2 diabetes.
- Its antioxidant properties prevent toxin accumulation in the body.
- Vitamin K improves skin health and can prevent dermatitis and bruising.
Sources
There are many foods which provide vitamin K and these should be included in our daily diet. An adult needs the daily dose almost 120 to 150 mcg per day. Therefore no supplementation for vitamin K will be needed for them.
It can be found in several foods like leafy green vegetables, okra, spinach, beans broccoli, cabbage and asparagus.
- Yogurt which is a fermented food provides vitamin K.
- All types of soybean including medium cooked contains vitamin K. Japanese food includes boiled and fermented soybean known as natto provides huge amount of vitamin K.
- Nuts like almonds, cashews, walnuts contains vitamin K.
- Fruits like grapes, strawberries, apples and prunes are good sources of vitamin K.
- Seafood like shrimp and salmon provide good amount of vitamin K which prevents stroke and heart attack.
- Meat such as beef, duck, lamb and chicken also contain vitamin K.
Pregnant mothers and people who are suffering from heart disease, stroke and blood clotting problems should avoid supplements for vitamin K.
Vitamin K2 in particular is one that gets forgotten about.
nice! never knew about this vitamin, now i will take it more.
You should include foods in your daily diet which are rich in vitamin K to get multiple health benefits.