Sunday, June 24, 2012

Vitamin K

Blogging A to Z: "K"
Why are nutrients, um, nutritious?

I don't know about you, but I have happily gone through life knowing little to nothing about vitamin K. I especially didn't realize that supposedly we are generally deficient.  According to an article posted by Mercola.com in 2010, most of us get enough K in our diets to have sufficient blood clotting, but not enough to ward off other diseases.  Problems that may be linked to a vitamin K deficiency are:
cancers of the lungs, prostrate, liver and leukemia
osteoporosis
cardiovascular disease
varicose veins
dementia, and other brain disorders


The Mercola article provides excellent detailed information, which I will not include here, so check it out to learn more. However, here is a brief summary:
Vitamin K is divided into two types, K1 and K2.  K1 can be found in leafy greens such as kale, spinach, broccoli and collard greens.  K2 is tougher to come by, so a supplement is recommended.  Keep in mind that vitamin K is fat-soluable, so you must take it or eat with a source of fat if you want your body to absorb its benefits.  It is also worthy to note that vitamin K works best when paired with vitamin D, to protect the arteries from calcifying.

Obviously this is not an exhaustive commentary on the benefits and specifics of vitamin K, but maybe it has inspired you to learn more and be more aware, once again, of the benefits of healthy eating.



6 comments:

  1. Please take Dr. Mercola with a grain of salt. He usually has the answers for what we supposedly deficiencies. If you are eating greens you are eating plenty of Vitamin K and your body actually converts K1 into K2. Generally a tbsp. of olive oil, coconut oil, or other cold pressed oil is all the oil you need to metabolize vitamin K. Don't worry about whether you are getting enough if you are eating a healthy diet. If you are going into the sun in the summer for 10 minutes a day with SOME exposure not covered by sunscreen you are getting enough Vitamin D too!

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  2. Interesting information. I take a lot of supplements, will check to see if this is in one of them.

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  3. Marcia, thank you so much for the info on Vitamin K... I think it's definitely one of the less thought of vitamins! Blessings. Carla

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  4. Thanks for reading and commenting ladies!
    Detox Diva, I really appreciate your advice and thanks for letting all of us know. It is very difficult to know who to take seriously when there is so much information out there.

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  5. I have made a silent vow to eat healthier. I will start incorporating more vitamin K into my daily diet. Thanks :)

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  6. This is very interesting. I have been taking supplements less lately, and I just don't know.

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