Vitamin K is essential for the formation of substances in the liver that regulate blood clotting. It helps to remove poisons and toxins from the body that come from poor-quality food. Like most vitamins, it is found in foods.
Vitamin K plays an important role in the formation of prothrombin, a substance responsible for the blood clotting mechanism. It also stimulates muscle activity, normalizes the motor activity of the gastrointestinal tract, regulates kidney function, promotes normal metabolism in bones, connective tissue and prevents the development of osteoporosis.
Vitamin K comes in many forms. In particular, K1, or phylloquinone, is found in plants, K2 - menoquinone - is synthesized in the human small intestine and enters the body with animal products.
The best source of vitamin K is from green vegetables. So, collard greens contain up to 500 mcg of phylloquinone per 100 g of product, spinach - 350 mcg, broccoli - 220 mcg, watercress - 200 mcg. Also rich in vitamin K are nettle leaves, sorrel, asparagus, green tomatoes, rose hips, green tea, cereals (wheat, rye, oats), walnuts.
Much less vitamin K is present in animal products. In this segment, the best suppliers are pork liver, goat milk, eggs (yolks), butter, cheese. A very low content is found in beef, pork, ham, cow's milk.
Since vitamin K is a fat-soluble vitamin, it is better absorbed by the body if you consume foods containing it with fats, such as vegetable oil. During heat treatment, vitamin K is partially destroyed, in addition, various acids (citric, acetic, etc.) have a detrimental effect on it.
The daily human requirement for vitamin K is 1 μg per 1 kg of body weight: for example, with a weight of 70 kg, 70 μg of vitamin K is required per day. As a rule, with a normal diet, this norm is more than covered, therefore, vitamin deficiency or hypovitaminosis K, associated with a lack of phylloquinone and menoquinone in the diet, is extremely rare. The exceptions are cases of prolonged use of antibiotics and other drugs, which lead to restrictions in diet and the use of certain foods.
A feature of vitamin K is that even in large doses it is completely non-toxic and does not cause adverse effects on the body. On the contrary, it is very useful for proper blood formation, especially for patients in the postoperative period, women after childbirth and newborns.
