Vitamin K is a group of vitamins that the body needs for blood clotting and helps wounds heal. There is also some evidence that vitamin K helps keep bones healthy.
Vitamin K is commonly found in leafy green vegetables such as broccoli and spinach, vegetable oils, and cereal grains. Small amounts are also found in meat and dairy products.
Adults need about 1 microgram of vitamin K per kilogram of body weight per day. For example, someone weighing 65 kg needs 65 micrograms of vitamin K per day, while a person weighing 75 kg needs 75 micrograms per day. A microgram is 1000 times smaller than a milligram. It is necessary to get all the necessary vitamin K by eating a varied and balanced diet. Excess vitamin K is stored in the liver for future use.
Vitamin K helps produce various proteins that are necessary for blood clotting and the formation of bones. Prothrombin is a vitamin K-dependent protein that is directly involved in blood clotting, while osteocalcin is necessary to produce healthy bone tissue.
Vitamin K is a fat-soluble vitamin that comes in two forms. The main type is called phylloquinone, which is found in leafy green vegetables like kale and spinach. The other type, menaquinones, is found in some animal foods and fermented foods. Menaquinones are also produced by bacteria in the human body.
Vitamin K is found in many places in the body, including the liver, brain, heart, pancreas, and bone. It breaks down very quickly and is excreted in the urine or faeces. For this reason, it rarely reaches toxic levels in the body, even at high intakes, as is sometimes the case with other fat-soluble vitamins.
The recommended daily intake of vitamin K is 120 micrograms for adult men and 90 micrograms for women. Since vitamin K is fat-soluble, it is recommended to consume foods containing vitamin K with some fat to improve absorption. Vitamin K deficiency is rare in adults.
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