6 things you should know about vitamin K

Less well known than most vitamins, but no less important, vitamin K plays a crucial role in blood clotting, metabolic processes such as cholesterol regulation, and overall cardiovascular health.

The vitamin K It is one of the four fat-soluble vitamins, that is, they need fat to be absorbed. It is known above all for its role in blood clotting. Despite being so important, this vitamin is not usually talked about as much as others.

In this article we will give it the importance it deserves and we will see what its functions are in the body, in what foods to find them and how to detect deficiencies.

Different types of vitamin K

Two versions of this nutrient are found in food: vitamin K1, found in green leafy vegetables, and vitamin K2, found in meat products and fermented foods.

K1 phylloquinone. The vitamin K1, also called phylloquinone, is a type of vitamin K that we find in plants and products of vegetable origin, such as green leafy vegetables (spinach, kale, chard, mustard greens, parsley, romaine lettuce, etc.), cruciferous vegetables (broccoli , cabbage, brussel sprouts, etc.), asparagus, bok choy, peas, fruits such as plums, blackberries, grapes, blueberries or blueberries, among others. This vitamin is responsible above all for regulate blood clotting.k2 menaquinone. The vitamin K2 or menaquinone, is produced by bacteria, so it is essential to have healthy bacteria in our microbiota so that they can form this vitamin. In food we can also find it in fermented food such as sauerkraut, tempeh and kombucha, although the amounts vary greatly according to the production method used by each food. Among the benefits of vitamin K2 stands out a better bone health. It is also associated with fewer cases of cancer, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease.

Vitamin K properties

Like several of its “sisters” (vitamins A, C, and E), vitamin K has antioxidant functions in the body that prevent the formation of free radicals and thus prevent premature aging.

“A protective effect has been proven against leukaemia, liver, prostate or colon cancer”, explains nutritionist Martina Ferrer.

It is essential for blood clotting

Let’s think about a day that you are cutting your vegetables, like any other day, and for some reason the knife you were holding brushes against your finger and it starts to bleed. This is normal and nothing will happen when it is a minor injury, because not much blood is lost (unless there is some infection, but that is another topic); if you notice, almost immediately the blood coagulates, just so you stop losing blood.

This clotting is due to many chemical reactions in your body, known as Coagulation cascade. In this cascade, coagulation factors are performing their functions to form fibrin clots, a fibrous protein that acts as a plug. Some clotting factors depend on vitamin K1 in order to function and that is the importance of this vitamin.

Some people need to take anticoagulants due to a medical condition (for example, warfarin) and, depending on the type of anticoagulant, it will alter a factor in the coagulation cascade. These anticoagulants, as the name implies, are used to prevent blood clots or to treat already formed clots.

One of the medical indications when taking anticoagulants is avoid excessive intake of vitamin K, which is why many people completely avoid the foods rich in vitamin K1 that we mentioned above; the problem is that foods rich in vitamin K are also rich in other essential nutrients for good health.

It is crucial that you know that rather than completely eliminating foods that contain vitamin K, it is better that the consumption of these is stable, so that your doctor can adjust the medication according to consumption; that is, that every day you consume more or less the same amount of foods rich in vitamin K, instead of eliminating these foods completely.

There are already some anticoagulant medications in medicine that act at other points in the coagulation cascade where it is not necessary to stop taking vitamin K, so it is important to talk to your doctor about it to see the options.

Recent studies have concluded that, in addition to vitamin D, vitamin K also plays a crucial role in fixing calcium in the bones. It has been proven that those who eat foods rich in vitamin K enjoy stronger bones.

It is essential for babies

They are given vitamin K as soon as they are born, with a single intramuscular injection or oral drops for 12 weeks. because it prevents hemorrhagic disease of the newborn.

Foods rich in vitamin K

The plant foods richest in vitamin K, which contain about 40 mcg of vitamin K1 per 100 g, are:

Beet greens (700 mcg of vitamin K per 100 g)Spinach (75 mcg of vitamin K per 100 g)fermented soybeans (1,000 mcg of vitamin K2 in 100 g)Broccoli (40 mcg of vitamin K1 per 100 g)Kale (40 mcg of vitamin K1 per 100 g)Red cabbage (40 mcg of vitamin K1 per 100 g)Romaine lettuce (40 mcg of vitamin K1 per 100 g)Parsley (40 mcg of vitamin K1 per 100 g)

Some Examples of recipes rich in vitamin K: you could combine spinach, mango, cocoa and coconut chips in a smoothie; prepare some romaine lettuce boats stuffed with lentils, sprouts, sauerkraut and vinaigrette, or some buckwheat crepes with steamed broccoli, pumpkin and sunflower seeds and parsley.

Relationship between intestinal microbiota and vitamin K2

It has been known for many years, as shown in various studies, that the intestinal microbiota helps to produce vitamin K2, which contributes to achieving adequate vitamin K requirements.

The whole plant-based foods They are high in fiber, probiotics and prebiotics. This means that even if you don’t eat foods rich in vitamin K2, if you eat a diet based on whole, plant-based foods, your gut flora will stay healthy and be able to produce vitamin K2 as needed.

In order for them to perform this function, a diet rich in prebiotic fiber and the presence of fermented foods is advisable.

Antibiotics can cause deficiency

There really is no reason to be deficient in vitamin K when you eat a healthy diet. As you will realize, a plant-based diet includes a large amount of foods rich in this vitamin, so vitamin K deficiency is not common in people who eat this way.

However, there are patients who take a large amount of antibiotics. Antibiotics kill healthy bacteria in your body, causing a loss of ability to produce vitamin K adequately.

A vitamin K deficiency can cause loss of bone mass, bruising, heavy periods and blood clotting problems. The deficiency can occur in people with difficulties in the absorption of nutrients (celiac disease, Crohn’s…) or with intestinal dysbiosis due to excess antibiotics.

Therefore, it is important that if you are going to take antibiotics, you protect your intestinal flora with probiotics and prebiotics from natural, fermented foods, and perhaps from supplements. This with the aim of recovering the healthy bacteria that die from the consumption of antibiotics.

Another cause of vitamin K deficiency It is when there are gastrointestinal diseases or medications that prevent the proper absorption of this vitamin.

Symptoms of vitamin K deficiency

With food, it is difficult to have a vitamin deficiency. Even so, if anticoagulants are taken (warfarin, Sintrom, aspirin…) it is advisable to review the diet, since vitamin K and these products interact. A stable daily consumption of green leaves and foods rich in vitamin K is recommended.

These are the alarm signals What you should keep in mind:

Easy bruising Common bleeding (blood in stool, urine or nose) Heavy periods

If you suspect that you may have a vitamin K deficiency, it is important to see a doctor to get the appropriate tests done and treat the problem according to the corresponding cause.

Can it be taken in supplement form?

If a supplement is taken it should be done under professional supervision. It can be found alone or combined with calcium, magnesium or vitamin D. In addition, both K1 (phylloquinones) and K2 (menaquinones) can be found. Menaquinone-4 and menaquinone-7 are common.