My dad’s recent illness inspired me to write this blog about a vitamin that doesn’t get nearly as much attention as the almighty vitamin C. (More on my dad’s medical condition in a bit.) As you probably know vitamin K is essential for blood clotting, but did you know that vitamin K also aids in the health of bones, blood vessels, brain cells, and eyes?
It’s true. Studies show that vitamin K helps bones retain calcium. When it comes to providing cardiovascular health benefits, vitamin K helps your body by preventing calcium accumulation in blood vessels. This helps to avoid the “hardening of the arteries” affect commonly associated with cardiovascular disease. In addition, recent studies also show that vitamin K contributes to both brain and eye health by reducing the risk of age-related dementia and macular degeneration.
So now that we’ve covered some of the benefits of adding vitamin K to your diet (think cooked dark green vegetables, as well as soybean and canola oils) let’s get into how my dad’s medical condition factors into this blog. First of all, my dad suffered a minor stroke a few years ago and as a result he takes “blood thinner” drugs that help to prevent future strokes. The problem is the drugs (most common “blood thinner” drugs) work by blocking vitamin K functions. Which begs the question: Do these drugs prevent all the benefits of vitamin K?
You’d think that the answer would be a simple “yes,” but since my dad’s recent illness (which was made worse by the drugs he is taking) I’ve learned differently. According to doctors, drugs like Coumadin (a blood thinning drug) do not appear to adversely affect bones. However, further research indicates that calcification or hardening of the arteries might be an adverse side effect of some blood thinners. Obviously, for those taking the blood thinners, stroke prevention is the most immediate concern. But doctors are now telling patients they should adjust their drug dosage to coexist with a consistent daily vitamin K intake that is adequate to avoid major fluctuations from day to day (major fluctuations can lead to illness).
So how much vitamin K is recommended? According to the Institute of Medicine, healthy adults should consume 90 to 120 micrograms of vitamin K per day from the foods in their diet. However, it bears mentioning that the forms of vitamin K in supplements are absorbed five to 10 times more efficiently in the body than the natural vitamin K found in foods. So, 10 micrograms in a supplement is similar to 50 to 100 in foods.
To read more about the benefits of Vitamin K click here.
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