13 Fun Facts About Vitamin K That Will Make Green Leafy Vegetables Your Hero

Vitamin K is a fat-soluble vitamin that is needed in the right amount for human beings to survive and function well.

This vitamin is both available from the foods you eat and as dietary vitamin K supplements. It is available in high amounts in green leafy vegetables and other plant sources.

Did you know brussels sprouts are an excellent natural source of this vitamin?

Also, have you ever wondered how the name Vitamin K got this specific name? It came from the German term 'Koagulations'. Koagulation means coagulation.

In 1929, scientists found out that vitamin K was a crucial element needed for blood clotting. The K stands for Koagulation here as that is the main benefit of this vitamin apart from many others like protecting your heart health and boosting bone metabolism. Vitamin K1 and vitamin K2 are the two types of vitamin K.

The first form of Vitamin K, Vitamin K1 is also called phylloquinone. It is the most commonly found vitamin K source and contributes to up to 90% of all the vitamin K foods consumed by humans.

Vitamin K2 is especially found in fermented foods and animal products. It is also internally produced in the body by the bacteria in the gut.

Many types of bacteria, including Escherichia coli that are found in the human gut, can synthesize vitamin K2. There are different subtypes of vitamin K2, starting from menaquinone 4 to menaquinone 13. The subtypes vary depending on the length of their side chains. Menaquinone 4 and menaquinone 7 are two of the most popular subtypes of vitamin K2.

Once you have finished reading this article, why not discover vitamin E facts and vitamin D facts here on Kidadl?

Vitamin K Food Sources

Plants are the richest food sources of vitamin K. Some of these plant sources contain even up to 700% of the daily value of vitamin K recommended by the FDA.

According to FDA, men above the age of 19 should consume 0.000004 oz. (0.1 mg ) of vitamin K in their daily diet. Women above the age of 19 should consume 000003 oz. (0.1 mg ) of this vitamin. For teenagers, the recommended amount is about 0.000002 oz. (0.1 mg ).

Leafy green vegetables: There is nothing better than these leafy vegetables to give you your everyday dose of vitamin K. Other green vegetables like broccoli, turnip greens, and iceberg lettuce are also vitamin K rich.

Soybeans: Soybeans are also vitamin K-rich. You could also try soybeans oil.

Other vegetables: Common vegetables like carrots, okra, and pumpkin too contain vitamin K. Brussels sprouts contain high amounts of vitamin K.

Fruits: Not a lot of fruits contain vitamin K. Avocados are rich in Vitamin K. Pomegranate and grapes too contain some traces of this vitamin

Fermented foods: Many foods that are fermented are rich sources of Menaquinone, including cheese, kefir, and natto.

Chicken breast: Chicken breast contains Menaquinone 4. Apart from these, ham, chicken liver, and eggs also contain small amounts of this vitamin.

Dairy products also contain small amounts of vitamin K. Cheddar cheese, mozzarella cheese, and 2% milk each contain some traces of vitamin K.

When you ensure you consume three to five portions of vegetables and fruits every day in your diet, you can be sure to match your recommended intake values.

Vitamin K Health Benefits

Vitamin K is one of the most important fat-soluble vitamins your body requires to be alive.

Vitamin K supports your bone health. A lot of studies point to the fact that vitamin K plays a pivotal role in maintaining bone health.

It is especially useful to bring down the risk of osteoporosis, a condition that is caused by low bone mineral density. In the United States, 10 million adults struggle with this condition, suffering from joint pain and immobility.

Vitamin K helps produce different proteins that bind themselves to calcium and help in better calcium absorption, increased bone mineral density, and better bone health. With low levels of vitamin K, even when you consume adequate calcium, it may not get absorbed in the body and finally affect bone health.

Vitamin K is crucial for your heart health. One of the main reasons for various coronary heart disease problems is the calcification of the arteries and veins. Calcification is a result of calcium deposits that narrow the blood vessels and cause clogging.

Calcification can lead to high blood pressure and strokes too. Vitamin K has been proven to bring down calcification and thus protect your heart health. Many studies associated high vitamin K with a decreased chance of calcification and reduced risk of developing coronary artery disease.

Vitamin K supports cognitive health. As you get older, memory problems are unfortunately very common. When your vitamin K levels are low, these problems may get aggravated. Studies show that adequate vitamin K dietary intakes are associated with better cognitive health over time.

Symptoms Of Vitamin K Deficiency

According to experts, vitamin K deficiency is not a very common phenomenon. You need to know that vitamin K is one of the four fat-soluble vitamins, the other vitamins being vitamin A, E, and D. Fat-soluble vitamins are stored by the fatty tissues and liver in smaller quantities to handle times of vitamin deprivation.

As a result, even if you don't consume vitamin K foods for a couple of days, the reserves can handle the condition.

Here are specific cases where you may get vitamin K deficient.

Newborn babies: Vitamin K is not well-transferred in breast milk and hence newborns may need dietary supplements irrespective of whether they consume breast milk or formula.

People with specific health conditions: Some people may have malabsorption issues and their bodies may not absorb nutrients well. They may end up with vitamin K deficiency.

People on specific medications: Some medicines like warfarin (a blood-clotting medicine) may act as a vitamin K antagonist, which means that they reduce the action of vitamin K.

People with gastrointestinal problems: The beneficial bacteria in the body help maintain the right levels of vitamin K. People with gastrointestinal problems have an imbalance in the gut bacteria levels. As a result, these individuals are at a higher risk of developing vitamin K deficiency.

Vitamin K deficiency can also result in cardiovascular diseases and can affect your heart health. A recent study quoted that people who eat a diet rich in vitamin K reported a reduced risk of cardiovascular diseases by 34 %.

Here are some of the common symptoms of Vitamin K deficiency:

Internal bleeding: Vitamin K is a blood-clotting vitamin and hence deficiency can lead to internal bleeding into the skin. This is very common in newborn babies who are not on vitamin K dietary supplements. In the human body, this can show out as bleeding inside the skin of the nose, stomach, or even intestine.

Internal brain bleeding: This is one of the most severe symptoms of Vitamin K deficiency. Since one of the primary functions of Vitamin K is blood clotting, its deficiency can result in excessive bleeding. Newborns may experience internal bleeding in the brain, which can lead to life-threatening complications.

Bleeding deficiency in people with Celiac disease: Celiac disease is a condition where the small intestine gets inflamed, due to gluten sensitivity. The deficiency of vitamin K can lead to internal bleeding complications in these patients.

Osteoporosis: Bone Mineralization is a condition that leads to calcification and hardening of the bones, which is considered a good sign of strong bones. Vitamin K deficiency may lead to bone decalcification, increasing the risk of developing osteoporosis.

Problems with cardiovascular health: Cardiovascular health determines how strong, functioning, and healthy your heart is. Vitamin K deficiency will lead to excess calcification in the heart's blood vessels and can lead to heart problems.

How does Vitamin K work in the body?

Vitamin K is present mainly in the liver and body tissues. In the body, it is absorbed in the two parts of the small intestine: jejunum and ileum. There are two enzymes that help with this absorption: bile and pancreatic.

Almost all types of menaquinones (vitamin K2 variants) are obtained from both foods and are produced internally by gut bacteria. However, the menaquinone 4 variant is an exception. Did you know that the body converts vitamin K1 into menaquinone 4 using a conversion process that does not involve gut bacteria?

Vitamin K is a fat-soluble vitamin and is rapidly metabolized in the body. This means that when you consume foods rich in vitamin K or a vitamin K dietary supplement, only about 30-40% of it is absorbed.

Studies say that up to 50% can be sent out through the feces via the bile while about 20% is sent out through the urine.

Also, though the absorption rate of phylloquinone (vitamin K1) in its free form is about 80%, when it comes to vitamin K1 levels obtained from food, the bioavailability reduces drastically.

Since phylloquinone is tightly combined with the chloroplasts of plants, their bioavailability reduces further. Did you know that the bioavailability of vitamin K in fresh spinach is only 4-17% that you get from a dietary pill?

Both Vitamin K1 and Vitamin K2 have slightly different actions in the body. Vitamin K2 has longer side chains than vitamin K1. As a result, studies say that the former can stay in the blood for a longer time. The same reason ensures that when your dietary intake has more vitamin K2, your tissues receive more K vitamins quicker.

Some studies also confirm that when it comes to blood thinning, vitamin K2 may be more effective than vitamin K1. The K2 variant, in a particular study, was able to alter blood clotting levels in the body for up to four days.

Once the small intestine absorbs Vitamin K, it is converted into chylomicrons. Chylomicrons are types of lipoproteins that are usually made of dietary fat and cholesterol. Chylomicrons now move to the lymphatic capillaries, which are thin microvessels that are present between all organs and body tissues.

The lymphatic capillaries send the vitamin K back to the liver. Here, like in a manufacturing packaging unit, this blood-clotting vitamin is converted into smaller lipoprotein packs and these are sent out to the rest of the body.

The human diet contains adequate amounts of vitamin K and you should be able to achieve adequate intake when your food composition includes healthy fruits, vegetables, and greens. In rare cases when your body is not able to absorb nutrients from food, vitamin K supplements need to be taken.

For people on blood thinners, vitamin K supplementation may help retain the normal levels in the body. Also, if you are experiencing an issue with blood clotting, then you must include foods rich in vitamin K in your diet.

For newborns, pediatricians usually suggest vitamin K supplements that need to be given until the child is weaned off breast milk and starts solids.

Though an overdose of Vitamin K or Vitamin toxicity is extremely rare, it is possible. Vitamin K toxicity can manifest with signs of jaundice, hyperbilirubinemia, or kernicterus hemolytic anemia.

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