Vitamin K Benefits: Everything You Need to Know

By Susan Dickson

Vitamin K Benefits: Everything You Need to Know thegearhunt.com

Many people have heard of vitamin B, vitamin A, and all of the other essential vitamins that our bodies need to stay fit, healthy, and in some cases even to survive. Many people haven’t heard of vitamin K however, and it is one of the most important ones out there to your health. Vitamin K was discovered in the year 1929 and soon found to be something that the body needs. There are actually two kinds of vitamin K, vitamin K1, can be found in plant foods, such as leafy greens, and vitamin K2, which is found in animal and fermented foods. Without going into the technical, scientific jargon, this blog will discuss the vitamin K benefits that you need to know.

We will go into the benefits of vitamin K, the uses, the foods that it can be found in, and even the side effects that you should know about to stop you from taking too much because even when it comes to vitamins, there is such thing as too much of a good thing. So, if you have never really heard of vitamin K and what good things it can do for you, join us as we delve into the benefits of vitamin K and everything else you need to know.

Foods

Uses for Vitamin K Revealed

Vitamin K has quite a few uses. Join us as we list a few of them below.

To treat blood clotting conditions
To treat vitamin K deficiencies

Promote bone formation
To combat bone diseases
And much more

Many people take vitamin K supplements, some get vitamin K injections and you can even get vitamin K creams that are said to help get rid of dark circles under the eyes, varicose veins, and speed up the healing of bruises and burns. The best way to get your vitamin K, of course, is by eating foods that are rich in it. In our next section, we will list some of those foods.

Leafy

Foods Rich in Vitamin K

Brussel sprouts
Spring onions
Kale

Spinach
Turnip greens
Asparagus

Broccoli
Cabbage
Cauliflower

Cucumbers
Strawberries
Eggs

Chicken Livers
Dandelion greens
Most types of greens

Swiss chard
Romaine Lettuce

Now, that we have established the best foods to get your daily dose of vitamin K from, it’s time to go into the benefits that you will get from eating those foods or even taking vitamin K supplements.

Health Benefits of Vitamin K Revealed

It’s important to remember that each and every vitamin from A and onward have their own specific function when it comes to protecting your body. In this section of our blog, we will go into the health benefits that vitamin K has for your body as well.

Helps to Keep Your Heart Healthy

Clogged arteries are one of the major causes of heart attacks in the world today. Vitamin K words to prevent the arteries from becoming clogged, meaning you have less of a chance of having a heart attack. This essential nutrient is working hard so that your heart doesn’t have too.

Prevents Internal Bleeding

Vitamin K works to prevent to improve blood clotting in your body, which means you have less chance of developing internal bleeding, which can kill you. Not having enough vitamin K can lead to problems like colitis, obstructions, and Crohn’s disease.

Helps to Treat Menstrual Pain and Even PMS

Every woman knows what it’s like to suffer from cramps on her monthly, just as most of us know the bloating, irritability of PMS. Vitamin K works to regulate your hormones, which in turn reduces the pain of cramps that are usually due to excessive bleeding. If you have a vitamin K deficiency the bleeding will be worse, so the cramps will be worse as well.

Enhances Your Brain Function

Vitamin K plays a very important role in the way that your brain functions. So, it’s important to make sure that you get enough, even if you have to take a supplement to do it.

Helps Maintain Healthy Gums and Teeth

A diet that is poor in terms of vitamin A is known to have more cavities and even to develop gum diseases faster than someone who eats foods with this essential nutrient the way that they should. This vitamin helps to kill the bacteria that is present in cavities or tooth decay meaning they have less of a chance of forming that they would before.

These are a few of the top benefits of vitamin K that you should know about. Below, you can find a few more listed for you to research.

Other Health Benefits of Vitamin K

Healthy Bones
Helps to prevent cancer

Is said to improve cognitive functions
Prevents arthritis and osteoporosis
Helps you to heal quicker

Help prevent hemorrhaging in newborn babies
Helps to build your bodies immunity

This concludes our section on the health benefits of vitamin K. But, how do you tell if you actually have a vitamin K deficiency, especially since getting too much vitamin K is bad for you and dangerous as well? The first thing you should do is contact your primary health care provider and see if you need some type of vitamin K supplement and then go from there. Also, in our next section will discuss the signs and symptoms that are present if you have some type of a vitamin A deficiency, so that you know what to look for.

Top Signs that You Might Have a Vitamin K Deficiency

There are quite a few signs out there when it comes to having a vitamin K deficiency. The ones who are at the most risk are infants, breastfeeding mothers, pregnant women, children, and people who have certain diseases. Join us as we explore the signs of this deficiency so that you can recognize the signs and symptoms and get help for you or your family member by visiting your primary care provider as soon as possible.

Your Skin is Always Dry

Since vitamin K is important to protect the skin, it stands to reason that your skin would be dry if you weren’t getting enough of it. It is possible that a lack of vitamin A could be the reason for eczema and other dry skin diseases.

Dry Eyes

A vitamin K deficiency can lead to you having dry eyes as well and is one of the top signs that you might have a problem. A continued lack of the vitamin can lead to complete blindness or dying corneas. The inability to produce tears is one of the first signs that you are indeed suffering from a lack of vitamin A and need to consult your doctor right away for treatment.

Eyeglasses

Night Blindness

If your vitamin K deficiency is severe enough it can lead to what is known of as night blindness. This can be very serious not only because of the lack of vitamin K in your body but because of the risk of wrecking or getting hurt at night because you can’t see where you’re going.

Trouble Conceiving and Infertility

Who would have ever thought that having a lack of vitamin K could actually lead to you having problems getting pregnant or worse lead to infertility? It can lead to infertility in both women and men and has also been linked to women miscarrying as well.

A Delay in Growing for Children

Lack of vitamin K can also lead to a growth delay in children. This is because you need vitamin K in order to grow properly. If you have noticed that your child isn’t growing the way you think he should, it is best to make an appointment with his primary health care provider to see if a lack of vitamin K might be the problem.

Frequent Chest and Throat Infections

Everyone gets sick every now and then, but if the infections in your chest and throat seem to be steadily coming, you could be suffering from a lack of vitamin K in your diet. However, there are a few studies that have shown that too much vitamin K actually increased the occurrences of chest and throat infections as well. So the debate is still raging on that one.

Poor Wound Healing

If you are having a hard time with wounds healing, if it takes forever for a scratch or a cut to go away, then you might be suffering from a lack of vitamin K. There are of course, many reasons that wound heal slowly, some of them more dangerous than others, so it is best to be checked out by your primary health care provider as soon as possible if you have any of the signs of poor wound healing.

Acne and Breakouts

Believe it or not, there is something besides being a teenager and eating too much chocolate that can cause acne and breakouts to occur. Since vitamin K promotes skin care and helps the skin to develop the ability to fight inflammation it stands to reason that if you are suffering from a lack of vitamin K you will see an increase in breakouts and acne.

These are a few of the top signs and symptoms that you are suffering from a lack of vitamin K. Taken separately, these symptoms aren’t all that bad, however, combined it could end up being a serious problem. Don’t take that chance. Make an appointment with your doctor for a complete physical to determine if indeed you do need to take supplements to increase your vitamin K levels.

This brings us to the last section of our blog. We are going to discuss the side effects of too much vitamin K because after all, it is possible to get too much of a good thing. Read on below for a few of those side effects to be explained.

Side Effects of Too Much Vitamin K

There are a few side effects of taking too much vitamin A that you should watch for. Those are listed below.

Vitamin K supplements shouldn’t be taken when you are pregnant or breastfeeding without consulting your primary health care provider first.
Children should not be given vitamin A without consulting their primary health care provider first as well.

Can cause diabetes
Can cause liver disease
Can cause increased bile secretions

These are just a few of the side effects that you should look for when it comes to vitamin K. If you aren’t sure how much you should be getting, please make an appointment with your primary doctor to find out.

Should You Take a Vitamin K Supplement?

As with any other supplement out there, the answer to this question is up to the user. If you think that you should be taking a vitamin K supplement, it is probably because you are worried that you aren’t getting enough vitamin K in your diet. Try to increase your vitamin K intake naturally, before turning to supplement. Then, before deciding to take a supplement, make an appointment with your doctor to determine if you indeed do need to take a supplement to put more vitamin K into your system. This is the only way you will know for sure whether you are vitamin A deficient and need to have something done about it.

This concludes our blog on the benefits of vitamin K and everything else you need to know. Vitamin K is a very serious vitamin that our bodies need to survive. If you feel that you aren’t getting enough vitamin K in your diet, don’t just ignore it, do something about it before you end up with the signs and symptoms above. Until next time, everyone!