Stopping the blood flow from that nasty cut is what vitamin K does best. This vitamin also has a few other jobs, but clotting is its primary purpose. Vitamin K, a fat-soluble vitamin, occurs naturally in plant foods as phylloquinone. The vitamin K produced by intestinal bacteria is referred to as menaquinone. The artificial form of vitamin K is referred to as menadione. All vitamin K winds up in your liver, regardless of where it originates, so it can formulate the substances that aid in blood clotting.
Adequate Intake
Established by the Institute of Medicine, the adequate intake, or AI, of vitamin K is the recommended value based on estimates of this nutrient intake by healthy individuals. The AI is determined when the recommended dietary allowance, or RDA, cannot be established. The AI for vitamin K for men is 120 mcg daily; for women, the AI is 90 mcg daily. Vitamin K1 is often given to premature infants to avoid hemorrhagic disease.
Deficiency
A vitamin K deficiency is rare, as most people get more than what they need from diet and intestinal bacteria. However, when an adult has a deficiency, it may be the result of poor diet and a lack of green leafy vegetables, prolonged antibiotic use or a digestive problem. Liver disease alters the way your body assimilates vitamin K. The antibiotics tetracycline, neomycin and cephalosporin kill both the bad and good intestinal bacteria, stopping the production of vitamin K. Cholesterol-lowering drugs may also cause a deficiency by blocking the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins.
Clotting Factors
Your blood has several different clotting factors or substances that cause the blood to coagulate or clot. Vitamin K helps your liver to produce prothrombin or factor II, one of the most significant factors. Other factors also make up what is called the coagulation cascade, which consists of seven vitamin K-dependent proteins. Simply put, you need vitamin K in your liver to activate these proteins. Without these clotting factors, your blood continues to flow if you suffer injury.
Vitamin K and Osteoporosis
Your body also utilizes vitamin K to help your bones attract and hold onto calcium, as well as to transport calcium to other areas of your body. Without vitamin K, your body cannot create new bone cells, which can lead to osteoporosis. According to the Linus Pauling Institute, three vitamin K-dependent proteins have a mineral-binding capacity that relies on vitamin K for normal bone growth and development.
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