Over the past few months we’ve discussed essential nutrients such as Vitamins B, C, D and in today’s article, we will be covering another essential nutrient and the health benefits of Vitamin K. We will cover subjects like the symptoms of Vitamin K deficiency, the foods which contain it, supplements, and the amounts of required to live a healthy life.
This vitamin is an essential nutrient. Meaning we need this vitamin to live a healthy life.
Vitamin K is an essential nutrient. It is a fat-soluble vitamin, which we can get from foods or dietary supplementation. The body needs Vitamin K to produce ’prothrombin’ which is a protein that is essential for; blood clotting to stop excessive bleeding and for binding calcium in bone health and other tissues.
According to the NHS, adults who weigh 65kg would require 65mcg, and 75kg requires 75mcg. (micrograms (mcg) are 1000 times smaller than a mg), and you should be able to get all the amount you need from a balanced diet.
However in previous articles, we have mentioned, that;
Different forms of Vitamin K:
Vitamin K1 (phylloquinone) which is the main type of Vitamin K and is found in plants.
Vitamin K2 (menaquinone) is a lesser source and is found in fermented and animal-based foods.
Vitamin K2 has several sub-types, from MK-4 to MK-13. The most important ones are MK-4 and MK-7.
Vitamin K3 (Menadione) Toxicity has occurred in infants when injected with K3.
Bacteria in the large intestines turn it into its storage form K2. It is then absorbed into the lower intestine where it is stored in fatty tissues and the liver.
However people with intestinal issues who cannot synthesize foods or liver issues, probably do not absorb Vitamin K to full potential.
people who suffer from; Crohn’s Disease or Celiac Disease can also be susceptible to deficiencies because the nature of their illness which affects absorption.
Heavy drinking is also linked to Vitamin K deficiency. Likewise, if anticoagulants such as warfarin, which thins the blood, to avoid blood clots, can also be deficient of vitamin K.
Use of long term antibiotics destroys the bacteria required to help the production of vitamin k in the small intestine.
Here are some examples of foods that contain Vitamin K;
Leafy Green Vegetables like, Spinach, Kale, Collards, Swiss Chard, Parsley, Romaine, and Green Lettuce. Vegetables such as Brussels Sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower, and cabbage. Also Fish, Meat, Eggs all contain the vitamin. You will also find Vitamin K in Fermented foods as well, like Sauerkraut, & Natto (made from Soybeans).
Dr Kate Rheaume- Bleue.
She is a Canadian naturopathic physician, she wrote a book called Vitamin K2 and the Calcium Paradox. She is quoted as saying;
“I talked about vitamin K2 moving calcium around the body. Its other main role is to activate proteins that control cell growth. That means K2 has a very important role to play in cancer protection,” Rheaume-Bleue says. “When we’re lacking K2, we’re at a much greater risk for osteoporosis, heart disease, and cancer. And these are three concerns that used to be relatively rare. Over the last 100 years, as we’ve changed the way we produce our food and the way we eat, they have become very common.”
One study published in the journal Modern Rheumatology explained that Vitamin K2 has the potential to improve diseases like osteoporosis and rheumatoid arthritis.
According to a Dutch 2009 study, subtypes of K2 as MK-7, MK-8 and MK-9 can help reduce vascular calcification.
Dr Rheaume- Bleue says that deficiency in Vitamin K2 leaves you vulnerable to chronic diseases like; Dental Cavities, Varicose Veins, Osteoporosis, Heart Disease, Heart Attack and Stroke, Brain diseases, Inappropriate Calcification like heel spurs to kidney stones and Cancer.
Vitamins, minerals and amino acids do not work just by themselves, they are involved in a chain of events. In recent years Vitamin D has become the one trendy supplement to take, and rightly so. But, if we take vitamin D without other nutrients we’re probably wasting our time.
If we take Calcium supplements for bone health, you will need to keep the calcium moving and ensure that it doesn’t start depositing in unwanted places like arteries. Magnesium and Vitamin D are required to aid Calcium absorption and Vitamin K2 ensures that calcium is deposited into the bones where it’s needed.
Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death in the world. Atherosclerosis is the most common underlying issue of CVD. Vitamin K has been linked to ‘elastin’ in the vascular system, which produces greater flexibility.
Vitamin K has also been linked to the elastin in the vascular system, which gives veins and arteries flexibility. Clinical trials are ongoing. CVD kills an estimated 17.9m people every year according to The World Health Organisation.
Vitamin K can reduce the risk of developing diabetes, which affects about 285m people globally. Recent research shows that bone functions as an endocrine organ, and can regulate energy metabolism. Bone protein Osteocalcin is a messenger between bone and pancreas.
This article is part of a series we are writing about essential nutrients and their role in our general health and the part they play in helping our, immune, reproduction, digestive, nervous, respiratory systems etc and organs, like the brain, liver and kidneys for example.
Everyone in the UK will be deficient in at least 1 essential nutrient. Our diets just aren’t giving us the right vitamins, minerals and amino acids we need to live healthy lives.This is having a catastrophic effect on our health. Our digestive systems are asked to do the impossible and get nutrients from food that has low to non in the first place.
Vitamin K is another example of what deficiency causes, all of the modern illnesses we see today are linked to ‘nutritional deficiencies’. CVD, Atherosclerosis, Heart Attack and Stroke, All Types of Cancer, Diabetes type 1 & 2, Brain Health & Brain diseases, Liver, Kidneys, Arthritis and Osteoporosis, Dental Cavities, Varicose Veins, Inappropriate Calcification like heel spurs to kidney stones and more.
And Vitamin K is just 1 nutrient. Just look at the list of chronic conditions we have listed in all our articles. Then look around you at and see the health parallels. Isn’t it obvious what’s happening to us all?
Eat Well. Be Well.
Dom and Nic
Health Bunker
It’s Your Life. Own it!
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