Vitamin K is an essential nutrient and one of four fat-soluble vitamins (including A, D and E). There are two main kinds of vitamin K — vitamin K1 (phylloquinone) found in plants like leafy green vegetables, and vitamin K2 (menaquinone), which is naturally produced in the intestine.
Bacteria in the gut can synthesize vitamin K1 into K2 and make about 10% of our body’s vitamin K supply. You can also find small amounts of K2 in fermented foods like sauerkraut and kimchi, as well as liver and egg yolks.
“Vitamin K is most known for its role in blood clotting and it also plays a role in bone formation and maintaining heart and eye health,” says registered dietitian Caroline Passerrello, a spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (opens in new tab) and a faculty member in the Dietitian Nutritionist Program at the University of Pittsburgh.
“Greens — like collard, spinach, kale, broccoli, soybeans, and soybean oil are all excellent sources of vitamin K. For a generally healthy adult, 90-120 micrograms (mcg) per day is the adequate intake (AI). Half a cup of collard greens provides 530 mcg.”
Here, we’ll reveal more about how vitamin K works, the benefits, sources and signs of deficiency.
What are the benefits of vitamin K?
Caroline Passerrello
Caroline Passerrello is a spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, a faculty member in the Dietitian Nutritionist Program at the University of Pittsburgh, and is co-author of Human Nutrition: Science for Healthy Living (3rd ed.).
Without vitamin K, the body cannot produce prothrombin, a protein that is necessary for blood clotting, bone metabolism and wound healing. According to the Harvard School of Public Health, the vitamin helps produce four of the 13 proteins needed for blood clotting.
Stronger bones
Vitamin K helps to make osteocalcin, a protein that produces healthy bone tissue. It also teams up with other vitamins.
“Vitamin K works with vitamin D to ensure that calcium finds its way to the bones to help them develop properly,” says Dr. Sherry Ross, women’s health expert at Providence Saint John’s Health Center in Santa Monica, California.
Studies (opens in new tab) have shown that people who eat a lot of vitamin K-rich foods have stronger bones and are less likely to break a hip than those who don’t, but more research is needed in this area.
Upon attaining her medical degree from New York Medical College, Dr. Sherry spent her Ob/Gyn…
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