All you need to know about Vitamin K

Vitamin K is a fat-soluble vitamin that is often ignored — at least compared to some other essential vitamins and minerals. But like all other vitamins, vitamin K is essential for optimal health for numerous reasons. 

Function

Vitamin K is known as the clotting vitamin or the coagulating vitamin because without it blood would not clot. It is essential for the formation of blood clotting proteins by the liver. In the case of a skin wound, for example, blood clotting (and vitamin K) helps scab formation and wound heals, it also prevents excessive bleeding.

Additionally, vitamin K helps keep the body’s blood clotting ability at a perfect level.

This is useful even if we are not wounded so that our cardiovascular system doesn’t block a functioning blood vessel.

It is also known for the promotion of strong bones. It helps in the formation of osteocalcin, a protein in the bone, which can bind calcium.

Symptoms & Deficiency disease

Vitamin K deficiency is very rare. It occurs when the body can’t properly absorb the vitamin from the intestinal tract. Vitamin K deficiency can also occur after long-term treatment with antibiotics.

So while it’s rare to be vitamin-K deficient, it is still possible. Here are some vitamin k deficiency symptoms & diseases:

•  Issues related to problematic blood clotting or bleeding.
• Easily bruise or bleed.
• Cartilage calcification.
• Uncontrollable bleeding at surgical or puncture sites.
• Brain bleeding in newborns.
• Increased tendency to hemorrhage (bleed uncontrollably)
• Inadequate intake of vitamin – k increases the risk of hip fracture in women.
• Low circulating concentrations of vitamin – k may be associated with low bone mineral density.

 

Deficiency may be seen in premature infants born with a sterile intestinal tract, in which vitamin – k producing bacteria may take, longer to establish themselves. This is also seen in people who fail to absorb this fat – soluble vitamin

Prevention

 A diet rich in vitamin K – eg, green leafy vegetables and oils (such as olive, cottonseed, and soybeans), green peas and beans, watercress, asparagus, spinach, broccoli, cauliflower, oats and whole wheat.

The bacteria present in the lower intestinal tract can also synthesize Vitamin K.

Vitamin K given to neonates is very effective in preventing vitamin K deficiency.

Menadiol sodium phosphate is a water-soluble synthetic vitamin K derivative that can be given orally to prevent vitamin K deficiency in malabsorption syndromes. However, this isn’t something you take over the counter yourself. Yoe NEED to consult your doctor in case you feel you have Vitamin K deficiency.

 

Treatment

Vitamin k must be given orally or by an intramuscular injection to a newborn at birth. Vitamin k is found in abundance in nature. Including food items which are sources of vitamin K in your diet will help you greatly.

 

Edited and Proofread by Samara Vivian.