We all know about the basic vitamins like vitamin C and vitamin A, the ‘cold’ vitamin and the ‘eyesight’ vitamin, respectively. We also all know that there are a ton more vitamins and minerals that we need to consume everyday, but we’re not often educated about them.

One of these vitamins is vitamin K, which is every bit as important for your health as some of the other vitamins. While vitamin K deficiency isn’t overly common, it’s still important that you get the stuff in your body so you can maintain a good, healthy sense of well-being.

Today we’re going to look at some of the health benefits of vitamin K.

1. Improves Heart Health

One of the most important functions of vitamin K is to ensure that our heart stays healthy. One particular way that it does this is by preventing the arteries from calcifying, which can lead to serious health problems ike atherosclerosis.

It does this by interacting with calcium in a positive way. It encourages calcium to move out of the arteries and prevents it from remaining where it would become a hard deposit and cause problems.

Of the two forms of vitamin K (more about this later) vitamin K2 is best for helping maintain heart health. This is the form that’s produced by the bacteria in your intestines or ingested from bacterial cultures like yogurt.

Vitamin K also helps prevent the arteries from becoming inflamed. This is another big cause of heart problems and should be avoided at all costs.

2. Enhances Bone Density

We all know that calcium is good for our bones, but we’re not taught in school about vitamin K, which is just as important. In fact, it’s necessary for calcium to perform its functions.

By allowing the calcium to perform its functions, vitamin K helps the body develop strong, healthy bones. Without vitamin K, calcium won’t be able to actually bind to the bones, which is the important part of the process and helps strengthen bones so they’re less likely to fracture.

Osteocalcin is the metabolite of calcium that is responsible for this function, but it relies on vitamin K to for its activation. Having a healthy amount of vitamin K to ensure your calcium levels function properly is important for preventing osteoporosis and other types of bone disease.

Vitamin K is particularly useful for women who are going through menopause. They are more likely to develop osteoporosis, but women with higher levels of vitamin K are mch less likely to fracture or break their bones even if they suffer from these conditions.

3. Improves Menstruation

It’s not just women going through menopause who can experience benefits from taking vitamin K. It’s also an important nutrient for helping women manage the symptoms of their menstrual cycle.

By helping to manage the body’s hormonal systems, vitamin K is great for helping people overcome the cramps and discomfort associated with menstruation. It does this by promoting blood clots which ensures that the flow of blood won’t become too excessive.

One of the things that contributes most to pain and cramping during menstruation is bleeding more than normal. Vitamin K helps to regulate this, and studies have shown that ncbl vitamin K deficiency can make menstruation worse.

4. Helps Fight Cancer

Another impressive benefit of vitamin K is the way that it can help to fight cancer. It has been shown to be useful in preventing the development of all sorts of different types of cancer: prostate, colon, stomach, nasal and oral cancers can all be hindered by vitamin K.

Some studies have even suggested that high doses of this nutrient can help people suffering from cancer regain some of their health. Liver cancer patients reported improve liver functioning when using large amounts of vitamin K.

Studies have drawn a conclusive link between high amounts of vitamin K intake and a decreased risk of developing heart-related cancers.

5. Improves Blood Clotting

Blood clots may sound scary to some, but blood clotting is actually an essential part of our body’s protective mechanism. If our blood didn’t clot, we wouldn’t be able to heal wounds and we would just keep bleeding out forever.

People who are deficient in vitamin K may have a hard time with excessive bleeding. They may also bruise easily. If people take more vitamin K, they will likely notice that they will bleed for a shorter time and that hey won’t bruise as often or as badly.

There are a lot of nutrients involved in the process of blood clotting. 12 of these nutrients are proteins, and of these proteins, 4 of them rely on vitamin K to be activated.

For example, vitamin K can help babies suffering from hemorrhages. In this condition, blood clots don’t form in the baby’s body. They are likely to suffer serious defects and possibly death. However, giving babies injections of vitamin K has been shown to eliminate this particular condition.

6. Improves Brain Health

Another study found that some of the proteins involved in the maintenance of our cognitive abilities are also reliant on vitamin K.

Vitamin K is particularly involved in the metabolism of what’s known as the sphingolipids. These are compounds that are found in abundance in the tissues of the brain. They help to ensure that the brain remains strong and stable. Without vitamin K, these lipids can’t do their jobs.

Vitamin K is also known for being a good anti-inflammatory compound. Inflammation can lead to all sorts of problems in the brain and body, and has been found to be involved, in some way, in almost all physical diseases and many mental problems.

It can also help to prevent oxidative damage occur. This is another problem that can lead to the decline of mental abilities, and can contribute to conditions like alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s.

Preventing the oxidation of brain tissue can help to slow or prevent the emergence of these diseases.

7. Improves Oral Health

There has been a strong link between people who have deficiencies in fat soluble vitamins, such as vitamins A, D, and K, and having low measures of oral health. These vitamins help reduce the frequency of cavities and issues like gum disease.

Furthermore, these vitamins help to get rid of bacteria that can contribute to bad breath. These bacteria can also degrade the teeth and lead to decay, so getting vitamin K is important for maintaining the health of your teeth.

What is Vitamin K?

Vitamin K is a very important nutrient that we need to consume. Unfortunately it’s not discussed as often as some of the other nutrients that we need to consume.

Vitamin K is important for a lot of important things, like the development of our bones and hearts. It’s considerably important for maintaining bone density and helping to mineralize the bones in a similar manner to calcium.

Vitamin K also helps the blood clot properly. This might sound scary if you’ve heard about blood clots causing heart attacks, but that’s internal blood clotting. Blood clotting is actually the process that occurs externally to stop you from bleeding out of cuts and wounds.

There are several types of vitamin K, as well. This is one thing that many people don’t recognize about a lot of vitamins: they are often blanket terms given to several different nutrients. For example, vitamin A describes a wide variety of nutrients known as carotenoids. Vitamin E is 8 different types of tocopherols and tocotrienols.

Vitamin K consists of two main types of vitamin, K1 and K2. Scientifically they are known as phytonadione and menaquinone, respectively. The different vitamins have different properties.

• Vitamin K1 is easiest to acquire for vegetarians because it can be found in vegetables and other natural foods. Vitamin K2 can be found in fermented products, especially fermented dairy.
• Vitamin K2 is also naturally produced by the bacteria in our intestines.
• Vitamin K2 is more important for providing benefits to the human heart. It has proven more effective in studies for improving the health of arteries and fighting heart problems.

If you have ever seen vitamin K3, then you should know that it’s not an authentic form of vitamin K. Instead, it’s a synthetic form of vitamin K that won’t be that great for helping you meet your nutritional requirements.

Vitamin K Deficiency

Vitamin K deficiency isn’t as common as some of the other deficiencies that are commonly seen, like deficiencies of magnesium or vitamin B12. However, a vitamin K deficiency can be quite serious if it does arise.

Vitamin K deficiency can lead to some fairly serious complications.

• People with a lack of vitamin K are more likely to have a stroke or develop problems with heart disease.
• Vitamin K deficiency increases bleeding and makes it harder for wounds to heal. It can also cause people to bruise easily and have very heavy flow during their menstrual cycle.
• People with vitamin K deficiency are more likely to have digestive issues or symptoms of IBS, which can include bloody diarrhea and nausea.

Most people don’t develop vitamin K deficiencies. However, if you have some type of chronic illness or condition that impedes your ability to absorb nutrients, you’re much more likely to develop a vitamin K (or any other vitamin) deficiency.

The odds of being deficient obviously increase if you have an unhealthy diet. Other factors can include liver problems, extended or chronic use of antibiotics, and medications that impact the body’s metabolization of cholesterol. Blood thinners can also impact vitamin K levels.

How Much Vitamin K Do I Need?

It’s important to consume a regular amount of vitamin K so you can avoid developing a deficiency. If you have problems absorbing vitamin K, then you might need more than you would typically need. Talk to your doctor if you think you have difficulty absorbing nutrients.

The amount of vitamin K that you can absorb is directly correlated with the health, maturity, and amount of bacteria present in your gut. This means that the daily recommended doses are just guidelines, but they can vary quite a bit.

The daily recommended intake (DRI) of vitamin K can depend on a lot of different things. Here are some guidelines as presented by the Food and Nutrition Board in America.

• Newborns up to 6 months will need about 2 micrograms of vitamin K a day
• Infants between 7-12 months will need 2.5 mcg a day
• Toddlers from 1-3 years will require about 30 mcg daily
• Children between 4-8 years will need about 55 mcg a day
• Children between 9-13 years will need about 60 mcg a day
• Teenagers between 14 and 18 will need about 75 mcg a day
• Adults will need about 90 mcg a day

The dosage required doesn’t depend on gender, though as we’ve mentioned it can vary depending on a lot of other factors. Check with a nutrition specialist to see if you have any special vitamin K needs.

What Can Affect Vitamin K Absorption?

As we have mentioned, there are many factors that can come into play and have a negative effect on your body’s ability to absorb vitamin K. these are some of the most common things that could negatively influence someone’s vitamin K capacity.

• The health of your intestines. Vitamin K2 is created by the bacteria in the bowels, so if these aren’t in good shape it can be difficult to acquire this nutrient. Having problems like leaky gut syndrome or IBS can make it more difficult for the body to create or absorb vitamin K.
• Poor diet. Aside from eating a diet that doesn’t provide you with vitamin K, if you eat a diet that is full of processed sugars and refined carbohydrates then you might have a difficult time absorbing vitamin K. Unhealthy diets negatively impact the health of your guts.
• Preexisting health conditions, like diseases of the liver or gallbladder, gluten sensitivity, or anemia can all make it more difficult for the body to absorb vitamin K
• Taking antibiotics can adversely affect the amount of bacteria present in your guts, making it difficult for your body to create and absorb vitamin K

Now that you know what it can do for you, we hope you enjoy all the benefits of vitamin K.