Like all other vitamins such as vitamins A, B, C, D or protein, carbohydrates… Vitamin K plays an extremely important role in the human body. So does a lack of vitamin K cause any disease?
1. The role of vitamin K in the body
Vitamin K participates in the blood clotting process in humans, by producing a specific protein to promote this process. Therefore, vitamin K is very necessary for humans, helping to prevent excessive blood loss when there is external damage or damage to internal organs of the body.
In addition, vitamin K and calcium help form a strong skeleton for humans. Vitamin K also participates in many other processes and life activities of the body. This nutrient has 3 forms: vitamin K1, K2 and K3. Vitamin K1 is often found in green leafy vegetables such as kale, spinach while vitamin K2 is available in the human intestine.
Vitamin K deficiency often occurs in busy people who often eat junk food or processed foods that lack green leafy vegetables.
2. What diseases does vitamin K deficiency cause?
When adults are deficient in vitamin K, they will experience the following diseases:
Vitamin K2 deficiency can lead to heart disease
Vitamin K2 is directly related to arterial calcification, so vitamin K2 deficiency leads to the risk of cardiovascular diseases. About 57% of patients who die from cardiac arrest are due to vitamin K2 deficiency. Therefore, it is necessary to increase vitamin K2 in the body to fight and prevent cardiovascular diseases.
Vitamin K can help the body fight cancer, if there is a lack of vitamin K, the body can lead to the risk of cancers such as breast cancer, lung cancer, prostate cancer…
A study with male patients aged 35-64 showed that the risk of prostate cancer in people with vitamin K deficiency is higher than in others.
- Osteoporosis
Vitamin K not only helps blood clot but also supplements calcification and metabolism in bones. When there is a lack of vitamin K, it can easily lead to osteoporosis, especially in people over 40 years old when bones are no longer strong and begin to degenerate.
- Excessive bleeding
Vitamin K helps prevent bleeding both internally and externally. Therefore, a lack of vitamin K can lead to excessive bleeding even from minor injuries.
- Easy bruising
With a lack of vitamin K, the body is more susceptible to bruising and excessive bleeding. Research shows that people who eat a lot of broccoli, lettuce… or foods rich in vitamin K have less bruising on their bodies.
Vitamin K deficiency can cause bruising.
- Rapid aging
Vitamin K is not a factor that causes wrinkles, but a lack of vitamin K leads to weak bones, cardiovascular diseases… making you age prematurely. Thus, a lack of vitamin K prevents you from having a flexible and healthy life.
In particular, if a newborn baby lacks vitamin K, the more serious consequences are causing defects in bones, nose, face, fingers, neural tubes, affecting the ability to learn, absorb and think… Therefore, children need to be regularly checked and ensure that they are absorbing enough vitamin K.
3. How much vitamin K is enough?
The need for vitamin K is different for each subject, age, and gender. Specifically, each day, adult men need to supplement 80mcg of vitamin K, while women need 65mcg.
For children:
- From 0 to 6 months old, they need to supplement 2.0 mcg per day.
- 7 to 12 months old need 2.5 mcg per day.
- 1 to 3 years old need 30 mcg of vitamin K per day.
- 4 to 8 years old need 55 mcg per day.
- 9 to 13 years old: 60 mcg per day.
Newborns are especially susceptible to vitamin K deficiency as well as other nutrients because their only source of nutrition is breast milk.
Pregnant women need more vitamin K
Pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers need to use a lot of vitamin K but should not exceed 65 mcg/day. People who have just had a stroke or have poor blood clotting or are prone to blood clotting should only use vitamin K supplements when advised by a doctor.
4. What foods should we supplement vitamin K from?
Nutrition experts advise us to only supplement vitamin K1 (plant-based) or K2 (bacterial-based). We should not supplement vitamin K3 because it can easily generate free radicals when used.
The safest way to supplement vitamin K is through daily foods.
Vitamin K1 is abundant in dark green vegetables such as watercress, cauliflower, salad, and cabbage. Cruciferous vegetables are a very rich source of vitamin K. According to calculations, 100 grams of cooked kale provides you with 817 micrograms of vitamin K. In addition, spinach, turnip greens, beets, and collard greens also contain a large amount of this nutrient.
Parsley is also a top food that provides this important vitamin. Just 10 sprigs of parsley provide you with 164 micrograms of vitamin K. In addition, you can find vitamin K in mint leaves, basil, and garlic. Many other delicious and nutritious fruits also contain a large amount of vitamin K such as plums, kiwis, avocados, tomatoes, etc.
Vitamin K2 is also found in fermented cheese and fermented soybean products.
