Vitamin K is considered one of the most important vitamins that are needed for the body to stay healthy. It is a group of fat-soluble vitamins that are important for blood clotting, bone metabolism and regulating blood calcium levels. Vitamin K is also known as the clotting vitamin because the body needs it to make certain proteins in the liver that cause blood to clot.
This vitamin also plays an essential role in preventing heart disease in the body. What it does is it activates a protein necessary to prevent calcium from building up in our arteries. Apart from that, it has also been found that vitamin K2 helps in the prevention of cancer. It also protects the body from the development of prostate and lung cancer.
Symptoms of Vitamin K Deficiency
Vitamin K is an important vitamin that is needed by the body. If there is a deficiency, then it can cause a lot of problems, like bleeding from the skin (causing bruises), from the nose, from a wound, inside the stomach, or in the intestines. Sometimes the bleeding in the stomach can also lead to blood coming out in the form of vomit. There can be bleeding in urine and stool as well. A severe deficiency of vitamin K can also hamper bone growth and, in some cases, lead to osteoporosis, a condition in which the bones become weak and brittle. Vitamin K deficiency also leads to the aggravation of heart diseases.
Sources of Vitamin K
Vitamin K1 can be easily found in vegetables, especially green leafy ones. It is advised by health professionals that people with a deficiency of vitamin K should consume more spinach, cooked kale, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, etc. Apart from that, vitamin K1 is also found in soybeans and canola oil.
On the other hand, vitamin K2 is abundantly found in fermented food and animal products. This mostly includes full-fat butter, cottage cheese, bacon, egg yolk, chicken, curd, etc. Even though these are essential for the body, health professionals have advised heart patients to limit their consumption.
