Vitamin K food, Deficiency, Benefits, and Recommended Dose
Vitamin k is an essential fat-soluble vitamin that play important role in blood clotting, heart, and bone health. The human body requires an adequate level of vitamin k to prepare certain proteins that help in blood coagulation.
Without vitamin K coagulation of blood is seriously impaired. A deficiency of vitamin k causes bleeding disorders, weak bones, and heart diseases. If this deficiency sustains for a longer time then it leads to uncontrollable bleeding. But fortunately, deficiency of vitamin k is rare and it is found in lots of foods. Vitamin k is found both in plant and animal products.
Vitamin K types
Vitamin k has two subtypes, vitamin k1 and vitamin k2 (menaquinone).
Vitamin k1 is called phytomenadione or phylloquinone. It is the most common form of vitamin K and is prepared by plants its highest amount is found in green leafy vegetables because it is involved in photosynthesis. Vitamin k1 from plant origin is as active as animal vitamin and performs the same activity of blood clotting. Inside the gut bacteria convert vitamin K1 into vitamin k2.
Vitamin k2 is known as menaquinone and it is found in animal products and fermented plant foods like natto.
The daily recommended intake of vitamin K for women is at least 90 mcg and for men is 120 mcg. Nearly all people can achieve it easily by adding the following foods to their meals.
Vitamin K deficiency
If the level of vitamin k is below the daily recommended intake then it leads to vitamin k deficiency. Vitamin K deficiency leads to these medical complications:
- Heart diseases
- Low bone density
- Osteoporosis
- Bleeding
- Some sort of cancers
- Vascular calcification
- Cognitive impairment
- Tooth decay
To avoid these medical complications ensure the DV of vitamin k in your food.
This article lists foods that are high in vitamin k. These foods are divided into different groups.
Vitamin K1 food
100 grams of the following foods have a high level of vitamin k1:
- Cooked green mustard: 592.7 mcg
- Cooked spinach: 540.7 mcg
- Cooked kale: 481.5 mcg
- Cooked turnip greens: 518.9 mcg
- Raw swiss chard: 830 mcg
- Raw dandelion greens: 778.4 mcg
- Cooked beet greens: 484 mcg
- Cooked collard greens: 623.2 mcg
- Fresh parsley: 1640 mcg
- Broccoli: 141.1 mcg
- Dried oregano: 621.7 mcg
- Cooked cabbage: 108.7 mcg
- Dried marjoram: 621.7 mcg
- Raw arugula: 108.6 mcg
- Dried thyme: 1714.5 mcg
- Dried basil: 1714.5 mcg
- Dried basil: 1714.5 mcg
- Margarine: 101.3 mcg
- Mayonnaise: 163 mcg
- Endives: 231 mcg
- Raw cress: 541.9 mcg
- Chives: 212.7 mcg
- Cooked Brussels sprouts: 193.5 mcg
- Soybean oil: 183.9 mcg
- Red leaf lettuce: 140.3 mcg
- Dried coriander leaf: 1359.5 mcg
- Kiwi: 60 mcg
- Prunes: 100 mcg
- Blueberries: 19 mcg
- Blackberries: 20 mcg
- Avocado: 21 mcg
- Tomatoes: 43 mcg
- Pomegranate: 16 mcg
- Figs; 16 mcg
- Grapes: 15 mcg
- Red currants: 11 mcg
Vitamin k2 food
100 grams of the following foods have a high content of vitamin k2:
- Goose liver: 369 mcg
- Natto: 939 mcg
- Turkey sausage: 36.6 mcg
- Beef liver; 106 mcg
- Chicken meat: 35.7 mcg
- Salmi: 28 mcg
- Bacon: 35 mcg
- Pepperoni: 41.7 mcg
- Full fat milk; 38.1 mcg
- Blue cheese: 440 mcg
- Hard cheese: 282 mcg
- Soft cheese: 506 mcg
- Pork chop: 69 mcg
- Bacon: 35 mcg
- Ground beef: 9.4 mcg
- Pork liver: 7.8 mcg
- Buck breast: 5.5 mcg
- Beef kidney: 5.7 mcg
- Chicken liver: 13 mcg
- Egg yolk: 34 mcg
- Whole milk: 1.3 mcg
- Butter: 21 mcg
- Cheddar: 13 mcg
- Cream: 9 mcg
vitamin K Benefits
There are several benefits of vitamin K but here I will mention the basic benefits of vitamin k.
Bone health
Scientific studies have shown that vitamin k plays a vital role in the development of bone and increase its density.
Vitamin k is very important for bone health and wound healing because that makes proteins for bone development and blood clotting.
According to the Harvard school of public health, vitamin k helps in the production of 13 proteins that are needed for blood clothing.
Further studies suggest that vitamin k with vitamin D enhances the process of mineralization and increases bone density and reduces the chances of bone fracture.
Green Bay researcher at the University of Wisconsin found that vitamin k has a positive effect on bone mineralization and decreases the risk of fracture
Brigham and women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School researched women and found that women who had taken an adequate level of vitamin K in their foods are less prone to hip fractures.
US Department of Agriculture Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging found that low levels of vitamin k cause low bone density and increase bone fracture chances in women;
Cognitive health
An adequate level of vitamin k is linked with cognitive health. It improves memory in older age people.
In one controlled study, individuals over the age of 70 years showed the highest verbal episodic memory performance when they had a high level of vitamin K in their blood.
In short vitamin, k improves cognitive health in older age people.
Heart health
Adequate intake of vitamin k prevents several heart diseases. Vitamin k reduces blood pressure by preventing mineralization in the arteries. When there is no mineral buildup in the arteries heart easily pumps blood to the body.
Mineralization is a natural process and it is linked to age. When age is increasing the process of mineralization is also increasing. This mineralization is a major risk factor for heart disease.
One study reveals that vitamin k reduces the process of calcification and stiffening of arteries, which reduces the risk of cardiovascular-related diseases.
Studies have shown that adequate intake of vitamin K reduces the risk of stroke.
Anti-cancer
Some clinical practice proved that vitamin k play important role in the treatment of cancer and aging. But there is no scientific proof that how vitamin k acts in cancer therapy. The use of vitamin k in cancer therapy needs more scientific studies to know the ground reality.
Osteoporosis and bleeding
Vitamin k plays important role in the treatment of osteoporosis and bleeding disorders. So it is indispensable to ensure the daily intake of vitamin K.
Daily recommended dose of vitamin K
Normally people get a sufficient amount of Vitamin k in their food. The daily recommended dose of vitamin K is:
Children up 6 months need 2 micrograms per day
Children up 7-12 months need 2.5 micrograms per day
Children from 1-3 years need 30 micrograms per day
Children from 4-8 years need 55 micrograms per day
Children from 9-13 years need 75 micrograms per day
Boys 14-18 need 75 micrograms per day
Girls 14-18 need 75 micrograms per day
Men 19 and above need 120 micrograms per day
Women 19 and above need 90 micrograms per day
Vitamin K chemical name
The chemical name of vitamin K is 2-methyl-1,2-naphthoquinone (3) derivatives or 4-Amin-2-methyl-1-Naphthol. Vitamin k has two subtypes, vitamin k1 and vitamin k2 (menaquinone).
Vitamin k1 is called phytomenadione or phylloquinone. It is the most common form of vitamin K and is prepared by plants its highest amount is found in green leafy vegetables because it is involved in photosynthesis. Vitamin k1 from plant origin is as active as animal vitamin and performs the same activity of blood clotting. Inside the gut bacteria convert vitamin K1 into vitamin k2.
Vitamin k2 is known as menaquinone and it is found in animal products and fermented plant foods like natto.
Summary
Vitamin k is an essential fat-soluble vitamin that play important role in blood clotting, heart, and bone health.
Vitamin k has two subtypes, vitamin k1, and vitamin K2.
A deficiency of vitamin K causes various diseases such as heart disease, osteoporosis, bleeding disorders, and low bone density.
Vitamin K rich food includes vegetables, fruit, meat, fish, etc.
