Vitamin K

Vitamin K is a fat-soluble vitamin that plays an important role in our body. It is best known as the clotting vitamin, because without it, the amount of blood clotting proteins decreases and bleeding time increases.

Blood clotting is a vital function in the body because:

it solidifies blood to prevent us from bleeding to death when a blood vessel is damaged
it secludes the area of an infection or injury and begins the healing process.

Researchers are discovering more and more potential functions for Vitamin K. Some studies indicate that it helps in maintaining strong bones by promoting Calcium bonding. Vitamin K is used to activate osteocalcin, the major noncollagen protein in bone. Activated osteocalcin anchors Calcium molecules inside of the bone. Vitamin K also prevents the formation of osteoclasts, the cells that break down bones.

Interesting facts

55% of Americans over the age of 50, or 44 million people, have Osteoporosis.
The low bone mass will cause 1 out of every 2 women and 1 out of every 4 men over the age of 50 to have a fracture in her/his remaining lifetime.
A study of more than 70,000 women found that women who consumed larger amounts of Vitamin K in their diets had a lower risk of hip fracture. Those who consumed lettuce one or more times per day had a significantly lower risk of hip fracture than those who consumed lettuce one or fewer times per week.
There are also reports that supplemental Vitamin K decreases the amount of Calcium a person loses in his or her urine.
Vitamin K appears to be important for the formation of cartilage and dentine, part of teeth.
In Japan, a form of vitamin K2, menatetrenone (MK-4) is recognized as a treatment for Osteoporosis.

Vitamin K and Menopause

Vitamin K levels appear to decrease with age while the risk of fracture increases. At menopause, because of the hormonal imbalance, the bone loss increases dramatically. Therefore, it is very important to include foods containing Vitamin K in our diet, especially leafy green vegetables.

In addition to supplying Vitamin K, these foods are rich sources of other nutrients important for bone health: Calcium and Boron. That makes leafy greens extremely important for women at menopause, especially those of us who do not consume dairy products, since dairy products are a major contributor of both Calcium and Boron.

Food Sources of Vitamin K

Leafy green vegetables such as lettuce, spinach, Swiss chard, cabbage, kale, cauliflower, broccoli, Brussels sprouts; cereals; soybeans; some fruits such as avocado and kiwifruit.

Note: Two tablespoons of parsley contain 153% of the recommended daily amount of vitamin K!

I know it is very hard to follow an ideal diet, perfectly balanced. Sometimes you don't feel like eating salads. The solutions to get the greens in your daily diet is to add a shake. I found some vegetarian dietary supplements with high antioxidant capacity; powders that you can mix with juice or plain water. I really enjoy these shakes, you can be very creative an use different juices or even add fruits, try it!

warning

Vitamins can have toxic effects just as severe as drugs, if taken in excess. The range of safety of the vitamins is much wider than that of most drugs. The toxic ranges do not apply to each individual. Dosage must be prescribed individually, because some people may be able to absorb more than others. Ask your doctor before taking any vitamins.

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