What Is Vitamin K For & What Do You Get It From?

As long as you eat nutritiously, you should be getting all the vitamin K you need, and you should be thankful that you do. Your intake of vitamin K is the reason why you heal from a cut. Vitamin K is found in mostly plant-based sources of food. It is a necessary vitamin for your body; it assists in both blood clotting and bone building.

Blood Coagulation

Without vitamin K, if you got a cut you would not be able to stop the bleeding. Your body relies on vitamin K to help the cascade of reactions that lead to a blood clot. A blood clot begins when clotting factors XII, XI, IX and VIII activate one another to produce factor X, which eventually leads to the production of fibrin, the protein that forms the clot. All your clotting factors are made with the help of vitamin K. Your body would not be able to produce the necessary clotting factors without vitamin K.

Bone Health

Vitamin K also maintains the strength and health of your bones. Your bones are hardened through the production carboxylated osteocalcin. Osteocalcin relies on your storage of vitamin K to become carboxylated. If it is not, it cannot strengthen your bones. Vitamin K is associated with helping to prevent osteoporosis. Osteoporosis is a condition in which your bones lose density. In individuals with low vitamin K, low bone density is likely, along with an increased risk of bone fracture.

Characteristics and Considerations

Vitamin K is a fat-soluble vitamin, which means that your body can store it. Fat-soluble vitamins are often stored inside fat tissue, which can decrease intake recommendations. Individuals that are on warfarin, a blood-thinning medication, should be aware of the amount of vitamin K they are eating. Warfarin works by inhibiting the action of vitamin K on the clotting factors. Talk to your doctor if you are on this kind of medication for advice on vitamin K intake.

Sources and Recommendations

The recommended intake for vitamin K varies by age. Infants 0 to 6 months old should get 2 micrograms of vitamin K per day. From 6 months to 1 year, 2.5 micrograms per day is sufficient. For children 1 to 3 years old, recommended intakes increase to 30 micrograms per day. From ages 4 to 8, 55 micrograms per day is needed. Adolescents 9 to 13 years old should get 60 micrograms each day. Young adults from 13 to 18 need 75 micrograms each day, and beyond 18 years of age the recommendation increases to 90 micrograms per day.
A well-balanced diet should be enough to fulfill your daily requirement of vitamin K. Sources of vitamin K include leafy green vegetables like spinach and kale, cauliflower, cabbage, cereal and soybeans.