Vitamin K is an extremely important vitamin, mainly involved in blood clotting processes.
What is vitamin K good for?
Vitamin K is a key regulator of blood clotting. But in addition to its beneficial effects, it also helps the liver to detoxify. When the body suffers an injury and starts to bleed, certain blood clotting factors in the vascular system are activated. A self-excitation process is also activated, which blocks the bleeding orifice. In this process, vitamin K is needed to produce more clotting factors. If there is not enough vitamin K in the body, these processes cannot be activated properly and participate in the clotting process, which can result in prolonged bleeding or haemophilia.
Signs of vitamin K deficiency
Frequent bleeding and bruising
Because vitamin K plays a key role in blood clotting functions, the most common symptom of a vitamin K deficiency is bleeding, which can occur inside or outside the body. Frequent bleeding from the nose or gums can be a warning sign. In addition, if you feel that simple wounds bleed more heavily and for longer than they should, you should also suspect a vitamin K deficiency.
Nausea, vomiting
One of the symptoms of vitamin K deficiency may be bleeding in the stomach. This can often cause nausea or vomiting, which can result in blood being expelled with the vomit.
Heavy menstruation
Women who are deficient in vitamin K may experience heavy menstrual bleeding. In such cases, it is not uncommon for bleeding to last up to a week. This is often followed by weakness and anaemia.
Bloody urine or stools
Unfortunately, vitamin K deficiency can also have these symptoms. However, such a symptom may also be an indication of another disease, so it is always advisable to consult a specialist.
Although vitamin K is a fat-soluble vitamin, it is not stored in the body for long periods of time.
Vitamin K foods, or what contains vitamin K?
Green leafy vegetables
Green leafy vegetables such as curly kale, mustard greens, Swiss chard, kohlrabi, raw spinach, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, beet greens and cabbage are rich in vitamin K. These can be eaten raw, as a smoothie base or steamed.
Meats, meat products
There is plenty of vitamin K in beef liver, pork loin, duck liver, chicken liver, bacon, pork liver, chicken liver and egg yolks.
Dairy products
Cheese, whole milk, butter and cream may also contain vitamin K.
Fruits
Although several prominent vegetables contain significant amounts of vitamin K, this is not true for fruit. Fruits that fall into this category include plums, avocados, kiwi, pomegranates, tomatoes, grapes and blackcurrants.
Who should not take vitamin K?
People who are taking anticoagulant medicines should be careful about how much vitamin K they get into their system. This is due to the fact that large amounts of the vitamin counteract the effects of the anticoagulant drug. This does not, of course, mean that these people should not eat foods containing vitamin K at all. Instead, this should be interpreted as not overdoing it and consuming about the same amount of them.
