Adequacy of vitamin intake has a big effect on your health. One of the most important but often forgotten types of vitamins is vitamin K. In fact, vitamin K has tremendous benefits for various organs and body systems.
For example, a lack of vitamin K can make you bruise and bleed easily. Why does this happen? Then, what other benefits can you get from this vitamin? Here’s the full review.
Health Benefits of Vitamin K
Vitamin K is a fat-soluble vitamin-like vitamin A, D, and E. Based on the source, vitamin K is divided into two types, namely vitamin K1 (phylloquinone) and vitamin K2 (menaquinone) .
Phylloquinone is found in green leafy vegetables such as spinach, kale and mustard greens.
Meanwhile, menaquinone is found in animal products and fermented foods. Some bacteria in your intestines can also produce this vitamin.
In order to get the benefits of vitamin K, you need to meet its daily needs. Everyone’s needs are different, depending on age, gender, activity level, and physiological condition of the body.
However, when referring to the Nutrition Adequacy Rate (RDA) suggested by the Indonesian Ministry of Health, adults need an intake of 55-65 micrograms of vitamin K in one day.
By meeting the needs of vitamin K, see a series of benefits that you can get below.
1. Wound healing and normal blood clotting
The main function of vitamin K is to form prothrombin, a protein that is very important in the process of blood clotting and the formation of bone tissue.
Without adequate intake of vitamin K, your body cannot produce this protein.
A lack of prothrombin will cause the body to bruise more easily even if it’s only a minor injury.
You’ll also bleed more easily, even if it’s only a minor scratch. This is because the blood does not immediately clot.
Blood trapped under the skin causes bruising, while blood that comes out causes bleeding.
Sometimes, bleeding that doesn’t go away can have serious consequences, especially if the injury is severe enough.
2. Maintain bone strength and density
Several studies have shown that a lack of vitamin K intake is associated with decreased bone density and an increased risk of fractures. One of them was published in the Journal of Osteoporosis in 2019.
Vitamin K has a number of functions for bones, but the main one is forming a protein called osteocalcin.
In the bone ossification process, osteocalcin binds to calcium ions and other minerals to regulate bone size and shape.
If you don’t get enough vitamin K, your body can’t form osteocalcin. As a result, the bone-hardening process does not go well.
Bone density also decreases, making you more susceptible to osteoporosis and fractures.
3. Reducing the risk of heart disease
One of the causes of high blood pressure is the formation of mineral deposits in blood vessels.
Mineral deposits prevent blood from flowing smoothly. The volume of blood that flows becomes disproportionate to the size of the vessels.
Vitamin K may have unexpected benefits in this regard. This vitamin is believed to prevent the deposition of minerals in blood vessels. That way, the blood flow remains smooth and the pressure that was previously high can decrease.
Protracted mineral deposition can lead to heart disease and stroke.
By preventing deposition, it means that you also reduce the risk of these two diseases.
4. Maintain Cognitive Function
The cognitive function involves the ability to think, learn, remember, make decisions, solve problems, reason, and concentrate.
When entering old age, these various abilities can experience a decrease.
There are many ways you can do to inhibit cognitive function decline, one of which is by meeting the needs of vitamin K. At least this is the finding of researchers in Canada in 2013.
After studying 320 elderly people, they found that those with the highest levels of vitamin K in their blood had the best memories.
By maintaining cognitive function, vitamin K might be able to help prevent senility in old age.
5. Potentially reduces the risk of cancer
Cancer is still the highest cause of death in many countries. However, it turns out that consuming food sources of vitamin K might reduce your risk of experiencing this disease.
A research team in Japan found that menatetrenone, a form of vitamin K2, could inhibit the emergence of liver cancer cells after treatment.
This vitamin also has the potential to increase the life expectancy of patients who have undergone treatment.
The benefits of vitamin K for reducing the risk of cancer are indeed promising. However, further research is still needed to prove these benefits.