Vitamin k benefits

There are several ways vitamin k benefits your overall health. Vitamin K is increasingly being recognized as an important compound in treating several diseases; some of them are;

Bleeding In Newborns

Infants need vitamin K largely to prevent bleeding after birth. At birth, Babies have half the clotting ability of Adults due to a deficiency of Vitamin K in their blood.  In premature births, infants have a third of the clotting ability of an average adult. Vitamin K aids in the clotting as it helps with the formation of platelets in the blood.  Thus, it is very important to administer

Vitamin K benefits during the development of the fetus or immediately after birth. 

Vitamin K deficiency can run as high as 2% in the overall population of the first week of newborns in the United States. Because of the prevalence of Vitamin K deficiency, several health organizations have been calling for oral administration of Vitamin K in both mothers who are about to give birth and their newborn infants after birth. 

The Committee on Nutrition of the American Academy of Pediatrics has recommended that all newborns be administered 0.5 to 1.0 mg vitamin K1 to prevent deficiency. In the United Kingdom, Vitamin K is administered to all newborns orally a few hours after delivery. 

Cure For Anti Coagulants

Because of the role of Vitamin K in clotting, it is used in large doses to prevent damage by Anti Coagulant drugs.  Vitamin K is considered a true antidote for poisoning by 4-hydroxycoumarin or coumarins anticoagulant drugs. These drugs  include warfarin, and bromadiolone, which inhibit the production of platelets and other clotting factors in the liver.  An overdose of these drugs can result in death by internal hemorrhage.

An overdose of 4-hydroxycoumarin drugs can be treated by administering large doses of vitamin K both intravenously and orally through food supplements for an extended period of time.  Vitamin K improves the prognosis of an overdose in anti coagulant drugs, even when great amounts of the drug or poison are ingested. 

Improves Bone Health

In addition to its anti clotting abilities, Vitamin K is found to improve bone density and strength.  Research also shows that Vitamin K delays the onset of osteoporosis and early calcification of the epiphysis and epiphysial line which can lead to a decrease in bone density. It seems that the function of Vitamin K is to prevent overcalcification of the bone and cartilage.

Bone health is improved in old age by Vitamin K.  Research by the Nurses Health Study in America found that people who have more Vitamin K in their diet is less at risk of developing bone fractures not due to accidents. It is recommended for people who are at risk of fractures to have a dietary intake of 110 mcg of Vitamin K per day.

Role In Cancer Prevention And Alzheimer’s

Several studies have shown a link between the intake of Vitamin K and the prevention of cancer and Alzheimer’s disease.  In Japan, researchers found that vitamin K decreases the likelihood of people with liver cirrhosis from developing liver cancer. Additional studies found that Vitamin K lowers the risk of prostate cancer

It is also theorized that Taking Vitamin K supplements may hold benefits to treating Alzheimer’s disease.  Vitamin K may reduce damage to the neurons of Alzheimer’s disease patients as it prevents nerve cell death.

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Filed under: Nutrients

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