Vitamin K Article

The ABC’S of Vitamins & Minerals

Vitamin K

By Dr. Jo

Vitamin K from the Danish “coagulation”, (those Danes!) something we want, or don’t want, depending upon the circumstances. Three kinds:  K- l (plant source) converted, we hope, to K-2 in the body. There’s my K-2 (I have a good source MK-7 which we take) which helps to  keeps calcium and phosphorus out of our aortas. Then there’s K-3, the synthetic form.

Exciting News! K is a better antioxidant than E or Co Q10!   It may reduce calcium in the arteries, reducing hardening of the arteries, so the heart and blood pressure will be happy. NOT FOR PEOPLE ON BLOOD THINNERS. Checking with your Doc is ESSENTIAL to see if you can tolerate this, especially if you’re on a medication like Coumadin? Famous for “thinning” the blood, it actually prevents coagulation or clotting of the blood, but Vit. K does NOT allow for that, so make sure you don’t do this yourself Yolanda!

 Vit. K; Sources:

1) Green Leafys and vegetable oils (about 50%)   

2) Your intestinal  bacteria which need an acid environment and plenty of good bacteria. 

Deficiency symptoms?

• any unusual bleeding (gums, nose bleeds)
• heavy periods easy bruising
• gastrointestinal bleeding
• osteoporosis are the 2 main ones.
• scoliosis
• birth defects
•  hypermobility
•  poor wound healing
• mitral valve prolapse may also implicated
• Alzheimers and aging may also be helped by K. 

Kids get a lot a nose bleeds, a sign of possible K deficiency. Kids get a lot of anti-biotics which destroy the good bacteria that make their K guys. Candida, a yeast infection overruns the good guys too. Green leafy veggies? Kids love ‘em right? No. Another possible source of Vit.K, stopped cold by the heartbreak of fast food. Nope, French fries don’t have K. Kids drink fruit juice, (containing too much candida supporting sugar) which may block K. How? Juice, nuts, fruits, spices and mints contain salicylates, (like aspirin) which block K. Malabsorption diseases such as Crohns disease, where K may not be made or absorbed, prolonged antibiotic therapy, and high amounts of A and E can cause a K deficiency. Anti-K? They are hydrogenated oils, like margarine, which keeps K from working.

Too many antacids won’t let bacteria live to make K, and a deficiency in hydrochloric acid, something bacteria need, won’t help you to make K either. I recommend to my patients and to you out there with the hat, that you don’t drink a lot of water with your food; you’re watering down your hydrochloric acid, needed for calcium absorption, bacterial health, complete breakdown of your food, and to start your car in the morning. (Payin’ attention?). Many connective tissue disorders may be a K deficiency. A reminder about CONTRAINDICATIONS…High K interferes w/ anticoagulants such as Coumadin & Warfarin, blood thinners those folks who are stroke risks or who have had strokes are sometime put on. These guys are told NOT to eat green leafys. Tufts University study show that there is not as much K in our food as once thought, and many multi’s don’t include K, or enough if they do. The RDA is haha, 85 micrograms. Dose depends on your stress level (OY VEY!), diet (leafys) and age (old)…like me or someone like me. Hey, 54 is NOT old!  “K” is not stored in the body, even though it is fat-soluble (which usually means it accumulates, but K doesn’t), so it’s non-toxic.

If you’re not on a blood thinner, Eat LOTS of  those green leafys, (even lettuce eaten daily can cut your risk of osteoporosis by 50%!).Green Tea? LOADS of  “K”! Take a good probiotic (acidophilis and others), stay AWAY from anything labeled partially hydrogenated, and drink your water ½ - 1 hour before or after your meal.

NOTE from Dr. Jo. I provide MK-7, a particular form of K-2 for my patients since this article was written about 10 years ago. See below why. Again, not for blood thinner patients.

“The Rotterdam Heart Study, a large-scale, well-controlled clinical trial that tracked 4,800 participants for seven years, revealed that participants who ingested the greatest quantities of vitamin K2 in their diet experienced a better cardiovascular condition than people who ingested the least.18 High intakes of vitamin K2 also corresponded to less calcium deposition in the aorta, whereas participants who ingested less K2 were more likely to show moderate or severe calcification. Animal studies suggest vitamin K intake not only blocks the progress of further calcium accumulation but also induces 37% regression of preformed arterial calcification.”19,20

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18. J. Nutrition 2004 Nov ;l134 (11):3100-5

19. Schurgers et al. Blood 2007;109:2823.
20. Spronk et al. J Vasc Res 2003;40:531.