Top 6 Vitamin K Rich Foods

Did you know that the “K” in Vitamin K is in fact derived from the German word koagulation? Dr. Rupali Dutta, Chief Clinical Nutritionist at Fortis-Escorts Hospital says, “Vitamin K is essential for blood clotting. It also plays an important role in bone formation.” Vitamin K is actually a group of compounds, and the most important of these compounds appears to be vitamin K1 and vitamin K2. Dr. Rupali adds, “Vitamin K1 (or phylloquinone) is obtained naturally from plants, especially green vegetables. Vitamin K2 (or menaquinone) is largely produced by the intestinal flora”.

Though Vitamin K deficiencies are rare in adults, the following may put you at an increased risk:

1. Fat malabsorption

2. Liver diseases

3. Destruction of intestinal flora

4. Eating a poor or restricted diet

Note: Unlike many other vitamins, vitamin K is not typically used as a dietary supplement. Vitamin K deficiencies are actually very common in newborn infants, and the absorption of Vitamin K depends upon a minimum amount of fat in the food.

Health Benefits of Vitamin K

1. Promotes Bone Health and Wound Healing
Vitamin K is a fat-soluble vitamin which makes 4 out of the 13 proteins needed for blood clotting, according to the Harvard School of Public Health. It is an important factor in bone health and wound healing.

2. Protects Your Heart
Vitamin K2 protects your heart, as it helps to prevent the hardening of the arteries – a common factor in coronary artery disease and heart failure. Dr. Manoj K. Ahuja, Sukhda Hospital says, “Studies have shown that Vitamin K2 also helps prevent osteoporosis, and serves as the biological “glue” that helps plug calcium and other important minerals into your bone matrix”.

3. Prevents Cancer
A number of studies show that Vitamins K1 and K2 are both effective against cancer. A study published in the International Journal of Oncology, found that treating lung cancer patients with vitamin K2 slowed the growth of cancer cells, and previous studies have shown benefit in treating leukemia. Vitamin K has also been found beneficial in the fight against colon, stomach and oral cancers.

4. Researches have also found that Vitamin K may be a contributing factor to Alzheimer's disease.

5. Vitamin K2 also improves insulin sensitivity, so people who absorb the most vitamin K2 from their foods are about 20% less likely to develop Type 2 Diabetes.