Vitamin K; the one that can heal wounds.
Welcome to our Vitamins series! There are alot of vitamins floating around out there, and well, we decided that it’s time for us to clear some things up!
So, Vitamin K; why is it named ‘K’? Well, vitamin K was first named by the germans, because of Koagulation, because, yes! Vitamin K plays an essential role in blood clotting.
But wait, we don’t want our blood to clot right?
That’s true! We don’t want our blood to clot, however, in our body, as with all things, we need a balance between clotting and bleeding, and Vitamin K helps ensure those levels are balanced.
So how does it work? Vitamin K acts as a co-factor for the enzyme that activates your clotting factors
Vitamin K also works on some anti-clotting factors too such as Protein C and S, it also acts on osteoclastin in the bones to make them stronger.
Where can we get Vitamin K?
Vitamin K is in two forms!
K1 is made in plants,
K2 by our gut bacteria
Therefore, we need bile from out pancreas and a healthy bowel to ensure that we can absorb Vitamin K (so those of you with #Celiacs or #IBD listen up!)
#Vitamin K is also an antidote to Warfarin, an anticoagulant, that looks alot like vitamin K but doesn’t work like #VitaminK.
So who is at risk of vitamin K deficiency?
People who have any intestinal diseases
Any condition that may lead to a lack of bile, so obstructive jaundice
#babies; since #breastmilk doesn’t have alot of Vitamin K, formula milk is recommended from time to time
People on prolonged #antibiotics may end up killing off vitamin K producing bacteria.
Where can we get vitamin K?
We’ve been here before! #Greenleafyveg, soybean and canola oil, and fortified foods. You need fats to absorb vitamin K. (#fatsarenotevil). Moreover your amazing gut microbiome can makee its own vitamin K as well!
Vitamin K is not stored long term in the body, so make sure you are ontop of your leafy greens!
So how much do I need?
The amount of vitamin K you need is around 10% of your body weight in micrograms, supplements are not recommended, since you can get a clotting disorder if you take too much.
So that's the skinny on Vitamin K-
Until next time!