When you bleed from an injury, you most likely have broken capillaries beneath your skin. Capillaries are the smallest structures that make up the circulatory system. They are very thin and allow your body the ability to interchange nutrients with your skin. When they are broken, your body uses vitamin K to start the clotting cascade, which stops the bleeding.
Clotting Your Blood
To mend your broken capillaries, your body needs to make several proteins that are used to form a clot. Vitamin K helps this process because it is responsible for the production of four of the 13 essential proteins needed for clot formation. Vitamin K also plays a role in several enzymes that make this clotting cascade possible. If your body did not have enough vitamin K to make the proteins, your body would not be able to form the blood clot and you could bleed to death.
Sources of Vitamin K
Your gastrointestinal tract is a natural source of vitamin K. The bacteria that line your intestines synthesize a small amount, but it is not enough to fulfill all your body's needs. Therefore, you must consume vitamin K through your diet. Good sources include green leafy vegetables, fish, liver, eggs and dark berries. The adequate intake of vitamin K is the amount that nutritionists have determined to be ideal for normal body function. To meet the daily intake, you need 90 mcg if you are an adult female and 120 mcg if you are an adult male.
Vitamin K Deficiency
A vitamin K deficiency is rare, but it can occur if you have trouble absorbing vitamin K from food, if you use antibiotics for an extended period or if you have malnutrition. Your doctor will perform a blood test to determine if your vitamin K levels are in the ideal range. If this deficiency is present for a long period, your capillaries will become weak and they will not be able to clot your blood effectively. This can result in bruising and bleeding from minor trauma.
Considerations
Broken capillaries can occur with almost any trauma to your skin. To avoid complications of a vitamin K deficiency, eat a balanced diet to ensure you meet the adequate intake. If you are on blood thinners or other medications, talk to your doctor about your vitamin K intake. Too much vitamin K can interfere with how these medications function.
