I received many questions about Vitamin K in a previous video that I released about
Vitamin D Today I will answer these questions:
- Do we need to add Vitamin K to Vitamin D to improve bone health?
- What does Vitamin K do?
- What kind of foods contain Vitamin K?
- Is Vitamin K the same as potassium?
So, let’s talk about Vitamin K today
Before I continue, let me remind you that this video is not intended to replace medical advice.
It is for educational purposes only.
You should contact your doctor for a proper diagnosis and treatment plan for you.
In case of emergency, go to the nearest emergency department or call an ambulance.
Vitamins are organic substances that are essential to the good functioning of our bodies.
They are found in the food that we eat.
There are two types of vitamins, those that are soluble in water and those that are not,
they are only soluble in fat.
The fat-soluble vitamins are A, D, E and K and they can be stored in the body’s fat
tissues, although the amount of Vitamin K that is stored in the body is not big and
is depleted within 24 hours without regular dietary intake.
If we have a balanced diet, we don’t need to worry about any vitamin deficiency.
The recommended intake of vitamin K for men is 120 mcg/day and 90 mcg/day for women.
There are two kinds of Vitamin K K1 is the most common kind consumed by humans.
It is called phylloquinone and is found in the following green leafy vegetables, soybean
oil and canola oil.
K2 is known as menaquinones and can be produced by bacteria in our guts.
It can be found in natto, a Japanese kind of fermented soybeans, meat, cheese and egg
yolk.
Vitamin K is essential to the formation of blood clots.
Blood clots are what stops bleeding, without them we could die of hemorrhage with any minimal
cuts.
Vitamin K also plays a role in maintaining the Calcium in our bones, thus preventing
osteoporosis and fragility fractures.
There are some observational studies that showed that people who have diets low in Vitamin
K have lower bone density and higher risks of hip fracture.
We know that an adequate dietary intake is sufficient to prevent problems of hemorrhage
or weak bones.
It is really easy to obtain an adequate dietary intake of Vitamin K.
Green leafy vegetables, Collard greens (1 cup = 1,000 mcg)
Kale (1 cup = 1,000 mcg) Spinach (1 cup = 890 mcg)
Brocolis (1 cup = 220 mcg) Brussel sprouts (1 cup = 218 mcg)
Lettuce Cabbage
100 g (3.5 ounces) of natto contains about 1,000 mcg of Vitamin K2
100 g of pork sausage has 380 mcg 100 g (3.5 ounces) of soft cheese has 60 mcg
1 egg yolk has 32 mcg There are few situations or diseases where
a person cannot absorb vitamin K because they have a malabsorption problem, like people
who have problems absorbing fat, such as liver, gallbladder or biliary diseases.
Also, people with celiac disease and cystic fibrosis have problems absorbing vitamin K.
There is a medication that is prescribed to inhibit the action of Vitamin K, and therefore
avoid the formation of blood clots, it is called coumadin, and is used in people who
have a tendency to form blood clots such as stroke or coronary diseases.
Supplementation of Vitamin K has been the subject of some studies, including a large
randomized controlled trial in postmenopausal women who took supplements for 2 to 4 years.
This study was conducted in Ontario by some of my colleagues from the University of Toronto.
They recruited 440 women with osteopenia and randomized them to a high dose of 5,000 mcg
of vitamin K1 or placebo daily.
These women were also given calcium and vitamin D supplements that approximated a total intake
of (diet plus supplements) of 1500 mg of calcium and 800 IU of vitamin D per day.
The scientists found that supplementation did not protect against age-related decline
in bone mineral density at the lumbar spine, total hip, femoral neck or wrist, but there
might be a possibility that it protects against fractures and cancers in postmenopausal women
with osteopenia.
There are a few other studies with smaller sample sizes and their results are conflicting.
Therefore, the main message here is Vitamin K is important for avoiding hemorrhage and
for bone health.
It is not necessary to supplement with tablets because it is so easy to obtain Vitamin K
from the diet.
However, taking vitamin K supplements does not seem to have any serious side effects.
But it is good to check with your doctor.
People taking blood thinner coumadin need to speak to their doctor before they take
Vitamin K because it may interfere with the effects of this medication.
And lastly, “No”, vitamin K is not the same as potassium.
Vitamin K is an organic chemical substance and potassium is a mineral element from group
1, alkali metals, that is represented in the periodic table by the letter K. Both vitamin
K and potassium are essential for human survival.
If you like this video press the thumbs up button here, don’t forget to subscribe to
this channel and turn on the notifications button.
Watch my next video here.
Goodbye