What is Vitamin K and What Does It Do
By Demi Sumler
Vitamin K, also known as menaquinones, is unfamiliar to the great majority of people. The modern-day style diet that mostly contains high amounts of processed foods rarely contains this vitamin. Yet, this potent vitamin is important for many areas of your health and may support bone health, heart health and blood sugar balance.
What is Vitamin K and what does it do?
Vitamin K is a group of nutrients divided into K1 and K2, which are two forms of fat-soluble vitamins. Vitamin K1 (phylloquinone) is present in green leafy vegetables. K2 (menaquinones), the alternative kind, can be present in some animal products and fermented foods. In addition, human body microorganisms can create vitamin K from the bacteria in our stomach and the foods we eat. The liver, heart, brain, and bones are just a few of the body’s organs that contain vitamin K. It is easily decomposed and eliminated through the feces or urine. As a result, unlike other fat-soluble vitamins, it rarely reaches harmful levels in the body even with substantial consumption.
Since babies are unable to produce this vitamin on their own, they are at risk of Vitamin K Deficiency for the initial 6 months of life. Also, nursing mothers don’t pass enough in their breast milk.
When vitamin K was first discovered, it was as a nutrient crucial to blood clotting. Blood clotting and bone growth require a number of different proteins, which vitamin K contributes in the production of. A protein called prothrombin, which is directly linked to blood clotting, depends on vitamin K. Osteocalcin is also a protein that depends on vitamin K to produce healthy bone formation. Another one of its vital roles is to regulate calcium deposition – it encourages bone calcification while preventing kidney and blood vascular calcification.
Vitamin K1 and K2
Vitamins K1 and K2 may play quite different roles and it is believed that they should be regarded as separate nutrients entirely. While vitamin K2 is less common, vitamin K1 is abundant in a number of generally accessible foods. With the typical modern diet of today, very little of this critical component is consumed. Foods high in vitamin K1, such as dark, leafy green vegetables, may be more difficult for children to eat in general. Also, those who maintain a plant-based diet won’t consume animal foods, the type created from bacteria, which are the main sources of vitamin K2. If your child is unable to consume these foods, taking supplements is a good substitute. Vitamin K2 is the most bioavailable and bioactive form of vitamin K and comes in two forms used in supplements called Menaquinone-4 (MK-4) and Menaquinone-7 (MK-7). MK-7 is the most bioavailable form and remains in the blood for a longer period of time, allowing blood levels to rise over time with regular dosage. allKiDz® offers a kid-friendly Vitamin K2 MK-7 with natural ingredients.
Did you know that when used with a vitamin D supplement, the advantages of K2 supplementation can be increased even further? These two vitamins may work cooperatively because of their synergistic effects.