Benefits of Vitamin K
April 13, 2009
Like all other vitamins, vitamin K is essential for smooth functioning in the human body and the maintenance of overall health.
Vitamin K is fat-soluble and is naturally produced in the intestines by bacteria, which is then stored in the liver. Vitamin K mainly helps in blood clotting and promoting bone health. It is good for the skin too.
Benefits
Vitamin K prevents blood loss during injury by the clotting process. It helps in the absorption of calcium and protects bone density. Hence, it is helpful in treating osteoporosis.
t reduces the risk of heart diseases by preventing the hardening of arteries. It has been found to prevent and treat cancer too. It is also beneficial in preventing menstrual disorders in women. In newborns, vitamin K prevents hemorrhagic disease.
It has recently been found that vitamin K can effectively treat dark circles under the eyes and bruises on the face.
Green leafy vegetables like spinach, lettuce, turnip greens, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, cereals, green tea, tomatoes, string beans, yogurt, wheat bran and eggs, among other things, are rich sources of vitamin K.
Soy beans, alfalfa and lean meat also have sufficient quantities of vitamin K. Hence, it is imperative that our daily diet should include as many of the above ingredients as possible.
Functions
Vitamin K is helpful in making the proteins required for clotting of blood and helps convert amino acid glutamate into GCA (gamma-carboxyglutamic acid). It is also involved in the OC process (carboxylation of osteocalcin) for binding calcium.
It helps in keeping the calcium out of arteries, thus protecting the heart and synthesizes proteins from plasma, bone and kidneys for easy absorption and effective functioning.
Deficiency
As the role of vitamin K is so evident in the proper functioning of the body, deficiency will definitely affect the normal processes.
Common symptoms of vitamin K deficiency are excessive bleeding of wounds, heavy menstrual bleeding, gastrointestinal bleeding, gum bleeding, eye hemorrhages, ovarian hemorrhaging, hemorrhagic disease of the newborn, tinted urine, blood in the urine, prolonged clotting, easy bruising, calcification of soft tissues like the heart valves and getting fractures easily.































