Vitamin K is related to your heart health. A group of proteins depend on vitamin K to help your blood coagulate. Cholesterol levels heavily influence the level of these proteins. Scientists note that when these proteins are found in high amounts, cholesterol levels are also high, increasing your risk of heart attack and stroke. Controlling your risk means getting enough -- but not too much -- vitamin K and avoiding high-fat diets. Talk to your doctor about how much vitamin K you need and to have your cholesterol levels checked.
Vitamin K
Vitamin K is one of the four fat-soluble vitamins, along with vitamins A, D, E. It's called vitamin K because it comes from the German "koagulieren," or coagulate in English. Coagulation, or blood clotting, is one of vitamin K's main functions, which it accomplishes by assisting several proteins involved in the process. In addition, vitamin K helps calcium bind to those specific proteins. This makes vitamin K an important accessory in preventing age-related bone loss. Foods like kale, Swiss chard and broccoli are rich sources of vitamin K, but a form of the vitamin is also produced by bacteria in your intestines. Babies receive vitamin K supplementation at birth because they don't have enough bacteria in their guts to make sufficient amounts. Vitamin K deficiency is rare in adults. When it does occur, you could be at greater risk for hemorrhaging. Taking some antibiotics or blood thinners and experiencing diarrhea could temporarily put you at risk of vitamin K deficiency.
Clotting and Cholesterol
Vitamin K works with one protein known as factor VII. In the 1950s, scientists discovered that factor VII is the key initiator of the blood coagulation process. Your blood coagulates for a number of reasons, including to form clots in response to injury. However, when there's too much factor VII in your bloodstream, you may be at increased risk of various heart ailments, including ischemic heart disease, heart attack and atherothrombotic disease. Scientists also discovered that the level of factor VII in the bloodstream is linked with the metabolism of blood lipids like cholesterol. A study published in the November 1994 issue of "Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology" indicates a positive correlation between factor VII and total, as well as "good," or HDL, cholesterol levels in women. In addition, another vitamin K-dependent protein, factor X, was related to "bad," or LDL, cholesterol in women. In the men, factor VII activity correlated with total cholesterol, triglycerides, HDL cholesterol and LDL cholesterol. The data supports the hypothesis that control of the levels of the vitamin K-dependent procoagulant proteins is linked to lipid metabolism in the normal physiology of both men and women. Subsequent research published in January 1997 in the same journal confirms the positive association of factor VII with triglycerides and total cholesterol.
Diet Matters
Diet is an important connector between vitamin K, factor VII, cholesterol and your risk of heart disease. The Linus Pauling Institute reports that, although scientists aren't sure why, vitamin K both promotes mineralization of bone, but inhibits mineralization, or calcification, of blood vessels. One of the major signs of heart disease is the formation of plaques in your artery walls, which over time, calcify, hardening and narrowing the arteries, which impedes blood flow and can lead to heart attack or stroke. Not getting enough vitamin K increases risk of calcification. The study article published in 1997 in "Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology" indicates that factor VII levels are also strongly influenced by diet -- precisely, high-fat diets. Diets high in saturated fat are a major contributor to high cholesterol as well, notes the American Heart Association.
Vitamin K Intake Recommendations
The Institute of Medicine recommends that adult men get at least 120 micrograms of vitamin K daily. Women need at least 90 micrograms. As a fat-soluble vitamin, your body has the ability to store vitamin K. This means if you take too much, you can risk toxicity. The Colorado State University Extension reports that excessive amounts of vitamin K can break down your red blood cells and cause damage to your liver. Talk to your doctor for precise guidance on how much of this vitamin you need.
References
- Colorado State University Extension; Fat-Soluble Vitamins; J. Anderson and L. Young; Aug. 2008
- Linus Pauling Institute; Vitamin K; Jane Higdon; May 2004
- "Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology"; Correlation of Vitamin K-Dependent Clotting Factors With Cholesterol and Triglycerides in Healthy Young Adults; Carol J. Hoffman et al.; Nov. 1994
- "Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology"; Factor VII, Cholesterol, and Triglycerides: The CARDIA Study; David Green et al.; Jan. 1997
- American Heart Association: Saturated Fats
- Institute of Medicine: Dietary Reference Intakes: Recommended Dietary Allowances and Adequate Intakes, Vitamins
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