Vitamin K
TopForm products that contain Vitamin K| Name | Amount Per Serving | Daily Value % |
| Meal Replacement | 100µg | 10% |
Click to see known causes of Vitamin K Deficiency.
Vitamin K is a fat soluble vitamin. This means the body is able to store larger amounts of Vitamin K in fatty tissue compared to water soluble vitamins like the B Complex Vitamins. Vitamin K has been broken down into five forms, Vitamin K1, K2, K3, K4, and K5. Vitamin K1 and Vitamin K2 are the two forms which help in the human body; while Vitamins K3, K4, and K5 are used by different animals (the pet food industry will synthesize large amounts of Vitamins K3, K4, and K5 for their pet foods because of the health benefits to inhibit fungal growth).
In humans Vitamin K has been shown to help with the clotting of blood, bone metabolism, and vascular biology. Vitamin K denotes a group of lipophilic, hydrophobic vitamins which influence the posttranslational modification of certain protein required for blood coagulation. Vitamin K2 is actually one of the few vitamins which the body produces without the absolute need of outside caloric intake. The large intestine is normally where Vitamin K2 is produced, and it is rare for a healthy body to suffer from any type of deficiency.
History of Vitamin K
The discovery of Vitamin K resulted in Danish scientist Henrick Dam sharing the 1943 Nobel Prize for medicine. Dam discovered Vitamin K with doing research investigating what role cholesterol played in a chicken’s diet. He discovered that the chickens he would feed cholesterol deprived diets to would develop hemorrhages and start to bleed. He then produced a pure cholesterol compound which he would feed the chickens theorizing it would counteract the effects of the hemorrhages and bleeding. What he discovered is the pure cholesterol compound didn’t counteract the results of a cholesterol poor diet. This led him to theorize that there was another compound in the diet he was accounting for, and that compound was discovered to be Vitamin K. Dam found when he would include Vitamin K into a diet that the hemorrhages and bleeding of the chickens would stop.
The method of using cholesterol deprived chickens to test a food’s Vitamin K content was actually continued for many years. Vitamin K was then used by doctors as a blood clotting agent, and actually was used to start saving the lives of patients with jaundice suffering once life-threatening hemorrhages. It wasn’t until 1974 that scientists were able to discover what role Vitamin K played in a cells function which caused it to have such a powerful coagulating power.
Sources of Vitamin K
There are many food items which provide high amounts of Vitamin K. Green leafy vegetables are the best sources of Vitamin K. Here is a list of foods highest in Vitamin K: kale, spinach, turnip greens, collard greens, Swiss chard, parsley, mustard greens, Brussels sprouts, green leaf lettuce, broccoli, endive lettuce, and romaine lettuce. There are other food sources which contain amounts of Vitamin K, but not to the same extent as the list above. Those items include: iceberg lettuce, red cabbage, asparagus, some forms of coffee, some forms of teas, and soybean oils.
The body is also able to produce Vitamin K from bacteria in the large intestine. The ability of the body to produce amounts of Vitamin K2 in the body makes it very strange for any case of Vitamin K Deficiency to occur in healthy adults.
Benefits of Vitamin K
There have been studies linking a connection between bone health and Vitamin K. Vitamin K has received recognition for its role in increasing the mass of bones, in some studies. The supplemental form of Vitamin K promotes osteotrophic processes and slows osteoclastic processes via calcium bonding. Japan has a form of Vitamin K, which has been approved by their government agencies as a treatment for osteoporosis. There a still studies underway trying to find out more about the relationship between bone health and Vitamin K, and there isn’t any long term data available which tells what effects prolonged us of Vitamin K supplementation will have; however, there are studies linking Vitamin K to better bone health.
Broken hips are one of the injuries which have a high level of mortality rate among older adults. The reason is a broken hip means a loss of mobility, and a lack of exercise. This means many older adults with broken hips are at a higher risk of contracting other deadly diseases and disorders. Protecting one’s self from a broken hip is a great way to prolong one’s life. In studies Vitamin K has proven to help strength and prevent hip fractures.
Leafy green lettuce is very high in Vitamin K. In a study comparing women who ate lettuce once or more a day versus women who ate lettuce one or fewer times a week—researchers found that women consuming more lettuce, and thus more Vitamin K, showed a much lower risk of hip fractures when compared to the women eating less lettuce and less Vitamin K. Even if a person’s has high levels of Vitamin D, a vitamin also linked to bone health, a deficiency of Vitamin K can still lead to an increased risk of hip fractures.
Why a Need for Vitamin K?
While the body does produce quantities of Vitamin K, it cannot produce Vitamin K without the help of biological agents found in a normal diet. A person needs to eat a well rounded diet of lean meats, fresh fruits, fresh vegetables, and whole grains in order to provide the body with the fuel it needs to operate.
Deficiencies and sub-clinical deficiencies normally occur in the people of developed countries, but it normally only targets the poor populations of those countries. It is just more economical for a person to eat a diet which is low in the essential vitamin and minerals which the body needs. The other group of people who are at a higher risk of vitamin deficiency is the elderly. The body stops absorbing vitamins and minerals in a regular fashion as a person ages. Sadly, the elderly are also normally the people living on a very tight income. This means they don’t have the resources to get the vitamins they need, nor the body to weather long term vitamin deficiency or sub-clinical deficiency.
Where to Get Vitamin K?
A good way to get the vitamins a person needs is through meal replacement products. A good meal replacement product can provide a person with the Vitamin K they need to have the health in the bones which they require. When looking for a meal replacement product it is important to look to make sure it has all of the essential vitamins and minerals which the body requires. While a body can run on meal replacement products, it is still recommended that person add vitamins and minerals also through normal healthy dieting. There has been no research supporting the claim that a person can live solely on supplemental vitamin alone. Meal replacement products are great for a person who is simply trying to get into the best shape of their lives, and a person who is looking for a healthy advantage with muscle development and weight loss.
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