Vitamin K is known as the “blood-clotting vitamin†for its important role in healing wounds. The “K” is derived from the German word koagulation. Vitamin K also plays an important role in bone health.
Sources
Bacteria in the gastrointestinal tract naturally make vitamin K. Dietary sources of vitamin K include green leafy vegetables — collards, green leaf lettuce, kale, mustard greens, parsley, romaine lettuce, spinach, Swiss chard and turnip greens — as well as vegetables such as broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower and cabbage. Other sources that are less rich in vitamin K include meats, fish, liver, eggs and cereals.
Benefits
Vitamin K is an important factor in bone health and wound healing. Vitamin K is a fat-soluble vitamin that makes proteins for healthy bones and normal blood clotting. According to the Harvard School of Public Health, vitamin K helps produce four of the 13 proteins needed for blood clotting.
1. Three Types of Vitamin K—Which is Best?
The three types of vitamin K are the following:
- Vitamin K1, or phylloquinone, is found naturally in plants, especially green vegetables; K1 goes directly to your liver and helps you maintain healthy blood clotting
- Vitamin K2, also called menaquinone, is made by the bacteria that line yourgastrointestinal tract; K2 goes straight to your blood vessel walls, bones, and tissues other than your liver
- Vitamin K3, or menadione, is a synthetic form I do not recommend; it’s important to note that toxicity has occurred in infants injected withthis syntheticvitamin K3
The vitamin K I recommend for supplementation is vitamin K2, which is natural and not toxic, at even 500 times the RDA. Vitamin K2, which is made in your body and also produced by fermented foods, is a superior form of vitamin K.Increasing your K2 by consuming more fermented foods is the most desirable way to increase your levels. The food highest in natural K2 is natto, which is a form of fermented soybeans consumed in Asia.
