Q. What happened to vitamin F, G, H, I and J?
A. its true that the better labeling for vitamins does a skip few characters right after E but don’t let the worry you. The researchers who discovered this nutrient labeled it K for Koagulation (they were Danish)
Like vitamins A, D and E vitamin K id fat soluble vitamin. It is a yellow or crystalline substance in its pure form and only in its natural form is used for humans.
Q. What does vitamin K do in the body?
A. Vitamin K is used in the liver to manufacture at least four different proteins important in blood clotting. Without this nutrient a simple cut might just go on bleeding indefinitely.
Q. Does this mean that if I m deficient in this vitamin I will bleed easily or for a long time?
A. Yes, those are signs of deficiency. In fact doctors check for vitamin K deficiency with a test that measures how long it takes a person’s blood to clot called prothrombin time. But keep in mind that there are other things besides vitamin K deficiency that can interfere with blood clotting. Remember also that vitamin K deficiency is rare except in newborn babies. It is now routine to give new babies an injection of vitamin K soon after birth.
Q. Does vitamin K do anything besides help to clot blood?
A. It seems that this vitamin is also involved in the production of other two proteins one related to bone metabolism the other to kidney function. In a study by Dutch researchers large supplemental doses of 1 mg a day of vitamin K seemed to improve the calcium status of postmenopausal women. It boosted blood levels of a calcium carrying protein, osteocalcin, thought to be involved in bone toning. It also be decreased calcium excretion through the urine.
Q. who is likely to be at risk of deficiency?
A. Vitamin K is not at all common. It seems to occur most frequently in people with impaired fat absorption people who have prolonged diarrhea or seriously ill persons. It can also occur as we have said in new born and premature babies.
Q. What happens with people who are seriously ill?
A. such a person might be in hospital being given antibiotics to prevent or overcome infections and being fed a formula diet does not include vitamin K. the antibiotics may kill the intestinal bacteria which normally can synthesize some vitamin K. thus the vitamin K stores are depleted. He or she may develop stomach or intestinal bleeding or if undergoing surgery, could suffer serious, even fatal bleeding. That’s why in such cases the clotting time should always be checked before surgery.
Q. how are such people treated?
A. These people often enquire injections or dietary supplements of vitamin K until the clotting time returns to normal.
Q. if the clotting time is affected by a deficiency in vitamin K what about people taking anticoagulants?
A. Vitamin K isn’t given usually to people taking anticoagulants drugs since it counteracts the effect of these drugs. In fact getting too much vitamin K is your diet might be one reason these drugs are sometimes hard to regulate. People taking anticoagulants may do well to keep their intake of vitamin K rich constant so that the effect of anticoagulants remains constant.
Q. You mentioned newborn and premature babies. Why are they deficient in vitamin K? Do they have bleeding problems because of this? What done about it?
A. Babies are commonly low in vitamin K because this vitamin is not easily transferred from mother to baby. Only if mother gets a large amount of vitamin K does it cross the placental barrier to provide protection to the baby. New born babies are given vitamin K injection soon after birth a practice that has dramatically reduced early deaths from brain hemorrhage.
Q. But what about premature babies?
A. premature babies run at high risk of brain hemorrhage during delivery, because their blood vessels are too fragile to withstand the surges in the blood pressure that occur during delivery thus severe bleeding may follow. That’s why some doctors now give vitamin K injections to women at high risk of delivering premature babies. In one study brain hemorrhage occurred in 11 per cent of the babies of mothers who got such injections compared with 36 per cent of babies of mothers who did not. And none of the babies who received vitamin K via their mothers had severe brain hemorrhaging.
Q. is vitamin K available as supplement?
A. You may find it in some of the higher priced multivitamins. It’s usually listed on the label as phylloquinone its natural form. But single nutrient supplements are available only by prescription. For those at risk of deficiency supplementation with 50 to 100 mcg daily is considered safe and desirable experts say, they add that even though the risk of toxicity from vitamin K is low people with vitamin K deficiency should be treated by a doctor.
Vitamin K
Quick Reference guide
RNI
Men: 80mcg
Women 65 mcg
Sources
Dark, leafy vegetables suck as kale, spinach, and parsley, broccoli, Brussels, sprouts, cabbage, lettuce, watercress, carrots, avocados, cucumbers, leeks, tomatoes, olive, canola and soybean oils. Meats and cereals also contain some vitamin K.
Signs of Deficiency
Prolonged dotting time, easy bleeding and bruising frequent nosebleeds.
Possible Toxicity problems
Large amounts from foods or supplements can interfere with the action of anticoagulant drugs.
