Many factors can contribute to easy bruising. If you bruise easily, or if your bruises seem to last longer than normal, diet is one area of your life that could bear examination. You may also note your age, as bruising tends to become more common in older adults than in children, teens and young adults. However, diet and age may not be the sole reason you bruise easily, so if there are signs or any reason to believe other factors are at play, consult your health care provider for a thorough examination of the cause.
Anatomy of a Bruise
People experience bruises of varying severity for different reasons, but a blow or impact upon the skin is typically the cause. The bruise forms when blood vessels beneath the skin are damaged, leading to the collection of blood beneath the surface. If your skin is healthy, applying ice or cold water immediately after the impact will lessen the extent of bruising, and your bruise should fade within a few days. Unhealthy skin or blood vessels may result in black and blue marks, which may linger for weeks, when even the slightest blow strikes your skin.
Vitamin C and Strong Blood Vessels
If your diet lacks some or all of the nutrients necessary for healthy skin and veins, you may experience easy and extended periods of bruising. For example, vitamin C plays a major role in keeping your blood vessels strong. According to the University of Massachusetts Amherst, vitamin C acts like cement between your cells. If your cells lack this "cement," easy bleeding and bruising will likely occur, as will bleeding from your gums. Vitamin C is present in a variety of fresh citrus fruits and vegetables, and is not stored in the body, so you need to consume dietary sources or a vitamin C supplement regularly to ensure that your body gets all of the vitamin C it needs.
Vitamin K and Clotting
Your blood needs vitamin K to clot. Vitamin K is found in some of the same vegetables as vitamin C, such as leafy greens. You can also get it from cauliflower and liver. In order for your body to absorb vitamin K, you must eat it with fat. If you are not getting enough vitamin K, this could be due to a lack of dietary source or a lack of fats in your diet. However, a lack of vitamin K absorption may also be due to conditions which prevent you body from absorbing fat, such as gall bladder disease, celiac disease or ulcerative colitis. If you bruise easily and your health care provider can determine that vitamin K deficiency plays a role, ask to be tested for these medical conditions. It is possible that a vitamin K supplement may help, but you should only take such a supplement under a doctor's supervision.
Bioflavonoids
Bioflavonoids help to prevent easy bruising in two ways. First, they assist your body in the assimilation of vitamin C. Second, they help to strengthen the vessel walls of your capillaries. One common bioflavonoid is quercetin, which is derived from sea algae. Another source of bioflavonoids is the white pulp of citrus fruits. An efficient way to increase both your boioflavonoid and vitamin C intake is to drink orange juice and other citrus juices that have not had the pulp removed.
References
- University of Massachusetts Amherst: Vitamin C
- Colorado State University - Fort Collins: Vitamin K
- Fat Loss Facts: Bioflavonoids are Necessary for Assimilation of Vitamin C -- Bleeding Gums High Blood Pressure
- MotherNature.com: Fading Out the Black and Blue
- The Ash Center for Comprehensive Medicine: Bruising
