With vitamin Ok, we’ve reached the tip of our vitamin journey (see the hyperlinks on the backside of this text for our full vitamin rundown). Vitamin Ok is definitely a generic title for a bunch of nutritional vitamins, and as you’ll see, this vitamin performs a couple of distinctive roles within the physique.
Vitamin Ok will get its title from the German phrase Koagulationsvitamin. This fat-soluble vitamin consists of a household of compounds, together with phylloquinone (vitamin K1) and a collection of menaquinones (vitamin K2). Phylloquinone is discovered primarily in inexperienced greens and is the principle dietary type of vitamin Ok. Menaquinones, then again, are produced by micro organism within the intestine and are additionally present in animal-based meals and fermented meals.
Vitamin Ok’s job is to make proteins for blood clotting (therefore the title Koagulationsvitamin) and wholesome bones and tissues. Prothrombin, or clotting issue II, is a vitamin-Ok-dependent protein that’s immediately concerned in blood clotting. That is necessary to know if you happen to take a blood thinner drug, corresponding to warfarin (model title Coumadin). Vitamin Ok can counteract the impact of warfarin, resulting in the manufacturing of clotting components, inflicting the blood to clot. Adjustments within the quantity of vitamin Ok that you just devour can have an effect on how warfarin works. Your well being care supplier could advise you to keep up a constant consumption of vitamin Ok if you happen to take warfarin.
Along with serving to to make prothrombin, vitamin Ok is required to make osteocalcin, a protein that’s present in bone, and matrix Gla-protein (MGP), which is current in vascular easy muscle, bone, and cartilage.
Vitamin Ok within the physique is discovered within the liver, mind, coronary heart, pancreas, and bone. Additionally, intestine micro organism make vitamin Ok, serving to to satisfy a number of the physique’s requirement for this vitamin.
As a result of vitamin Ok is concerned in selling bone well being, researchers imagine that this vitamin could cut back the chance of bone fractures, particularly in postmenopausal ladies, who’re in danger for osteoporosis. Low ranges of vitamin Ok are linked with low bone density; information from the Nurses’ Well being Examine point out that ladies consuming at the very least 110 micrograms of vitamin Ok day by day are 30% much less more likely to break a hip in contrast with ladies who devour lower than 110 micrograms. And, Framingham Coronary heart Examine information exhibits a hyperlink between a excessive vitamin Ok consumption and a decrease threat of hip fracture in each women and men, and better bone mineral density in ladies. However extra analysis is required to determine this vitamin’s position in decreasing bone fractures.
Vitamin Ok might also play a job in preventing coronary heart illness. A examine printed in 2021 within the Journal of the American Coronary heart Affiliation adopted greater than 53,000 Danish adults and tracked hospitalizations for coronary heart illness, stroke and peripheral artery illness (PAD). Individuals with the very best vitamin Ok consumption from leafy inexperienced greens and vegetable oils have been 21% much less more likely to be hospitalized for these occasions in comparison with individuals with decrease vitamin Ok intakes. The authors speculated that vitamin Ok may match to battle coronary heart illness by blocking irritation and calcium buildup. Nonetheless, extra analysis is required to know the doable position of vitamin Ok in coronary heart illness prevention.
Meals sources of phylloquinone (vitamin K1) embody:
- Inexperienced leafy greens, corresponding to spinach, kale, broccoli, lettuce, collards
- Some fruits, corresponding to blueberries and figs
- Vegetable oils, particularly soybean and canola oils
- Salad dressings made with vegetable oils
- Fortified meal alternative shakes
Meals sources of menaquinones (vitamin K2) embody:
- Meat
- Cheese
- Eggs
- Soybeans
Vitamin Ok is present in multivitamin/mineral dietary supplements, in addition to dietary supplements of simply vitamin Ok or vitamin Ok together with another vitamins.
The Beneficial Every day Allowance for vitamin Ok is:
- For grownup males 19 years and older: 120 micrograms (mcg)
- For ladies 19 years and older: 90 mcg
- For pregnant or breastfeeding ladies: 90 mcg
Most individuals within the U.S. get sufficient vitamin Ok from meals, and micro organism within the intestine makes some, too, so a deficiency is uncommon. However there are individuals who could have bother getting sufficient of this vitamin:
- Infants who don’t get a vitamin Ok injection at delivery
- Individuals who have cystic fibrosis, celiac illness, ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s illness, brief bowel syndrome, gallbladder illness, or liver illness
- Individuals on long-term hemodialysis
- Individuals who have had bariatric (weight-loss) surgical procedure
A vitamin Ok deficiency may cause:
- Bruising
- Extreme bleeding
- Heavy menstrual intervals
- Abdomen bleeding with doable vomiting with blood
- Osteoporosis
Vitamin Ok might be affected by taking antibiotics for quite a lot of weeks. The antibiotics can kill off micro organism that make vitamin Ok. Additionally, bile acid sequestrants, that are used to decrease levels of cholesterol and the drug orlistat (a weight-loss drug) can lower the quantity of vitamin Ok that your physique absorbs.
Should you take any of the above drugs or take dietary supplements that include vitamin Ok, discuss along with your well being care supplier to be taught if these would possibly intervene with how your physique absorbs and makes use of vitamin Ok. Vitamin Ok deficiency is handled by taking this vitamin orally or as an injection.
Vitamin Ok has not been discovered to be dangerous, however if you happen to take warfarin, the blood thinner, and also you don’t hold your vitamin Ok consumption constant, you could develop blood clots if you happen to devour greater than your traditional quantity of vitamin Ok.
Newborns within the U.S. are given vitamin Ok injections to assist forestall bleeding. It is because infants are born with out micro organism of their intestines, and so they don’t get sufficient vitamin Ok from breast milk.
To assist your physique take up vitamin Ok from meals, eat meals wealthy in vitamin Ok with a wholesome fats supply, corresponding to a vegetable oil, avocado, nuts, or olives.
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